Broken Stars Shine Brightest
by Jagger3
Summary: Magnus has become completely infatuated with a school mate of his; Alexander Lightwood-star of the football team and brother of the most hottest person in the school. He decides to make the blue eyed beauty his, but Magnus didnt realize that it might mean Alexander will have to see a side of him he was ashamed of. Rated M for yaoi, AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

The first time Magnus spotted Alec was when he was cutting across the football pitch to get to his next class. He was walking with a friend of his, Camille, and happened to look over in time to see a black haired, blue eyed beauty snatch a ball from the air. He was promptly tackled by his teammates, but Magnus's brain failed to process that.

"Who is that!?"

Camille looked up from the magazine she was buried in, watching the football player's scuffle, laughing and messing around with each other, "Which one?"

"The gorgeous one." Magnus sighed, stopping and watching him emerge from the pile, smiling at his team, "Black hair, blue eyes, and the number seven jersey."

"Oh him, that's Alexander Lightwood." Camille sniffed, looking bored, "His brother is so much hotter; Jace Lightwood."

Magnus turned to stare at his best friend, "That beautiful piece of eye candy is related to that blond douche bag!?"

"The hot douche bag." Camille corrected him, turning a page, "And yes."

Magnus turned to watch the boy get hauled to his feet by a teammate, his hair messed up and a smile on his face. It shot an arrow through Magnus's chest, "I want him."

"He's straight." Camille sighed, closing her magazine and reaching out, tugging on her friend's arm, "Come on."

"He can't be!" Magnus protested, his eyes glued on the teen as they walked towards the looming brick building, "He'll be mine."

"Whatever."

"Nice catch, Lightwood!"

Alec looked up and grinned at his coach, wiping a trickle of sweat from his eyes. "Thanks coach."

"Alright team, nice hustle today!" The coach said, grinning at them. He was a middle aged man with light stubble, fit and thin, but one hell of a good linebacker even at his age, "Hit the showers and get to class! And you! Herondale! No dawdling!"

One of the kids looked up and stuck his tongue out, before laughing and running off.

Alec walked back to the locker room slowly, letting his teammates run ahead of him. He looked up and noticed a couple of people walking towards the building. After a second of squinting, he recognized them.

The blond girl was someone called Camille Belcourt; Alec had never met her, but apparently she was nasty as hell sometimes. But what caught Alec's attention was the person she was walking with, more specifically, his clothes.

Whoever he was, he was obviously very self-confident. He wore tight fitting skinny jeans and a purple tank top that sparkled even at this distance. It was hard to tell, but Alec swore he thought he saw color in the other male's hair.

"Lightwood! You'll be late for class!"

Alec looked over, "Sorry coach." He jogged off, forgetting about the colorful teen.

How the hell could he have not noticed him before? Magnus walked into his chemistry classroom, and then stopped short when he noticed everyone sitting in different seats.

"Mr. Bane, how kind of you to join us." Mrs. Fray sighed, poking at her attendance list with a pencil stub, "You will be sitting in the back left lab table next to Mr. Lightwood."

Magnus's eyes snapped up and almost instantly focused on the person sitting next to his empty seat. Blue eyes flickered up and met his, solid and serious looking, "Uh, ok." He walked over and dropped his bag by his stool, sliding on and glancing at his lab partner, "Hi."

"Hey."

Silence descended upon them but Magnus was spared from saying anything else when the teacher stood up and started passing around the assignment.

"Ok listen up. You will work in pairs, no groups of three, to make a covalent bond with whatever I give you. You will need goggles and aprons, some of the mixtures might explode, so be careful. And Sebastian! If you blow up another test tube I will have you thrown out of the class!"

Magnus looked up as Mrs. Fray dumped a box of stuff in front of them and then moved on. He opened his mouth to speak to his partner when he noticed that Alexander had already gotten up and moved to the front of the classroom. He watched him, confused, until he walked back with equipment.

"Here, I got you an apron and goggles." Alexander said, holding out the black plastic apron to his partner.

"Oh, thanks." Magnus took it and pulled it on, making a face when he noticed a stain on it. "So, what's your name?"

Looking up in surprise, Alexander studied his partner for the first time. He was defiantly the same boy from the football field, and he'd been right about the color. His lab partner's hair was gelled into formidable looking spikes streaked with purple, "Alexander, but everyone calls me Alec."

"I'm Magnus. People call me Magnus."

Alec felt his mouth curve upwards at the corners, "Alright then, Magnus, what do you know about covalent bonds?"

"Absolutely nothing." Magnus said cheerfully, reaching for whatever was in the box.

Snapping his goggles on, Alec snorted, "Me either."

"He spoke to me!" Magnus squealed, running up to Camille in the lunch room and throwing himself in the booth, wiggling up and down.

Camille looked up from her magazine, "Who?"

"Alec!" Magnus gushed, leaning on his elbows and staring dreamily off into space, "He's my lab partner in chem. We spoke! Actual words!"

"So? Straight or gay?" Camille asked, stuffing her magazine in her bag and watching her friend.

"I don't know." Magnus sulked, one of his spikes dropping almost comically, "But he's so hot. I, like, can't breathe when he's next to me! And at one point, I was writing something down and he leaned over and corrected it! He was right on top of me!"

Camille felt her amusement rise as Magnus giggled over his new crush, "Well good for you. So do you have any other classes together?"

"No idea." Magnus frowned, sitting up. "I didn't notice before…gosh how could I not? He's so dreamy…"

"Alright lover boy," Camille snorted, kicking him under the booth, "you're making me nauseous."

"So? We never eat during lunch." Magnus scoffed, waving his hand, "I'm going to continue to gush over his beautiful…alluring….stunning blue eyes. And oh my god, Camille, did you see his ass?"

"Yep." Camille mused, smirking as she stared at something over his shoulder, "I'm looking right now."

Magnus whipped around so fast his tank top shed glitter. He spotted Alec instantly, waiting in line with some other guys, talking to them. "Oh there he is!"

"Now that I really look at him, he's not that bad." Camille crossed her arms, her eyes roving to the boy next to him, "Mmmm and there is his delicious brother."

Standing next to Alec was a blond haired, golden eyed, Abercrombie and Fitch worthy model. He was the chiseled good looks type, all arrogance and false charm. He was talking to his brother, mouth curved upwards in a smirk, ignoring most of the fawning fan girls around him.

Alec, Magnus was pleased to see, looked uncomfortable surrounded by all those females, and quickly bought his lunch and made his escape with one of the guys from his team. Magnus's eyes followed him until he sat down in the middle of the lunch room at a table, looking relieved to be away from his spotlight seeking brother.

"He is so beautiful." Magnus sighed, and then made a face as his stomach growled.

Camille looked up at him sympathetically but didn't say anything. She pulled out her magazine again and handed it to him, "You'll love page 24, all about different fierce styles of eye shadow."

"Ooooh yessss!" Magnus hurriedly flipped through the flimsy plastic pages to find it. He was completely engrossed in the article, so he didn't notice Camille watching his crush's table with an unreadable expression on her face, nor when Alec looked up from his friends and spotted them.

"Don't they ever eat?" Alec asked himself, and then turned back to his friends. His new lab partner was quite an interesting person. All throughout the lab he'd been joking around, but working all the same. Putting forth an honest effort while still managing to almost get Alec to laugh; and Alec never laughed. Especially around people he didn't know.

"Hey, Lightwood, what's eating you?"

Alec looked up and then scooted over, making room for one of his friends. "Nothing, just thinking about school."

"No wonder you looked constipated." His friend joked, pushing his glasses up his nose, "So, homecoming's in a month! Any hot dates?"

"Simon." Alec groaned, picking up an apple and biting into it, "Shuddap."

Simon grinned and began to eat his own lunch, "But really dude, you've got to ask a chick before she gets taken!"

"What about you? Who're you taking?" Alec shot back. He looked surprised as Simon's teasing grin faded and a melancholy expression took its place, "Hey, man, I was just messing around."

"It's ok. I actually…well…." Simon sighed and looked across the lunch room to where some girls were sitting, "I wanted to ask Clary."

"Clary Fray?" Alec immediately understood his friend's expression, "Oh man…"

"I know! Why would she go with me when she has Jace?" Simon's face twisted in a sneer.

Alec was silent, unable to help his friend out. But Simon's conversation topic had opened a deep hole in his stomach. Homecoming was coming up, and he was expected, as a football player, to take a girl there. Suddenly Alec felt nauseous, and he pushed his food away, sitting in silence with Simon through the rest of lunch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Magnus and Camille cut through the football field again before class, this time sitting and watching as the team tossed the ball around and ran into each other at top speed. Magnus, turning on his stalker-mode, noticed that Alec was more of a sprinter than a tackler, but he could hold his weight against the other guys. After practice, Magnus also noticed that he seemed to lag behind the team, hitting the showers long after the rest of them had left.

"He's gay." Magnus decided, as he and Camille walked to class.

"How can you tell?"

"He won't shower with his teammates and he won't tackle unless he needs to." Magnus listen off, "He has neat handwriting and a keen eye for detail. He's not straight."

"But have you seen the way he dresses?" Camille pointed out, "I think some of his clothes have holes in them!"

"Covering up his inner rainbow with mud." Magnus scoffed, looking amused. "He bats for my team, baby, and I'll coax him out of the closet soon."

"Just be careful, Magnus." Camille cautioned, unusually serious, "Don't scare him or try and force him to do things he doesn't want."

"I won't!" Magnus exclaimed, turning back around to stare at his crush.

Alec walked into his chemistry classroom and trudged over to his table, completely wiped from practice. It had been brutal. He slumped down on his stool and rested his chin in his arms, ignoring his lab partner's puzzled look.

"Bad day?"

"Bad practice." Alec grumbled. It had been awful, loads of fouls, Herondale, their quarterback, had tripped and face planted while running, and one of their linebackers had sprained his ankle. "You'd think we were a bunch of spastic idiots. It was like watching a giant flock of headless chickens running around."

Magnus chuckled, unable to help it, "Aw come on, it couldn't have been that bad!"

"It was!" Alec sat up, pushing his half dried hair from his face, "Herondale fumbled the ball, four times, and then I crashing into one of my teammates, I don't even know which one, and Josh, our quarterback, is out now due to a sprained ankle!"

"Just a bad day, everyone has those." Magnus reassured him, and then grimaced as the bell rang.

"Maybe, but does the entire team have a bad day on the same day?" Alec whispered, not letting it go. "Coach was so pissed. We have to stay after school today and run laps until he decides we've been punished long enough. I don't even have a ride home!"

"Lightwood! Bane!" Mrs. Fray called, raising her eyebrows at the two boys, "Quiet back there."

Magnus waited until she'd turned back to the blackboard and then murmured, "I drive to school, I could give you a ride."

"Thanks, but I don't know how long I'd be." Alec hissed back.

"I have shit to do afterschool anyway," Magnus whispered, "if you're not ready to go when I am I'll leave. If you are ready I'll give you a ride home. Deal?"

"Bane! Lightwood! Since you obviously know everything, why don't you tell the class what's on tomorrow's quiz?" Mrs. Fray snapped, hands on her hips.

"Uh…" Magnus glanced at Alec, who looked equally lost, "Covalent bonds?"

"Nice try Bane. Any words for the class, Lightwood?" Mrs. Fray asked coolly, her eyes boring into the two squirming students.

"No ma'am."

"Good. Now kindly pay attention."

They didn't speak again until the bell rang, packing up their notes and handing in their completed worksheets. As Magnus stuffed his notebook into his green backpack, Alec passed by him and dropped a note in, walking on like nothing happened.

Magnus walked briskly to his next class, Spanish, and quickly slid into his seat, pulling out the crumpled note and opening it excitedly. Written in black ink with a style of handwriting no straight man could boast about, was a single sentence;

_See you afterschool_.

"Alright ladies! Move faster!" Coach Garroway snapped, jogging beside the football team leisurely as they panted and gasped. He hadn't even broken a sweat while the football team looked ready to keel over.

Alec kept the pace up, blinking sweat from his eyes and sucking in air almost desperately. He'd lost count of how many laps they'd done, but he was pretty sure that Magnus and his ride were long gone by now. He still had that Chemistry test to study for, never mind the rest of his homework. He snapped his teeth together and carried on, ignoring his screaming legs and aching lungs.

"Move move move! I've seen little girls run faster than you!" The coach taunted, and then blew his whistle, "Alright I think you've done enough. Don't ever pull a stunt at practice like that again! Understood?"

There was a chorus of breathless, wheezing, "Yes sir's!" before the team was dismissed.

Alec trudged back to the locker room, panting heavily and glanced at his watch; it was almost five o'clock. He waited until the team was done showering and then stepped into the icy spray, sighing as it cooled him off. After a quick wash and rinse he tugged on his clothes, grabbed his backpack, and walked out of the locker room, heading for the parking lot. Maybe he could call his sister and have her pick him up…

"Your coach must be really pissed at you. I think I would've passed out after lap thirty four." Someone joked, and Alec whipped around.

"Magnus? You're still here?"

Magnus grinned and walked over, "Yeah I finished an hour ago and then decided to go peak at your punishment. That looked evil."

Alec snorted wearily, "You have no idea. I think I won't be able to walk tomorrow."

Grinning, Magnus led them out into the parking lot and over to one of the only parked cars left.

It was an old car, but obviously well taken care of. The paint was a dark purple, freshly washed, and when Alec pulled open the passenger door, the inside had been reupholstered with black leather-like material. "Wow, sweet car."

"Thanks, I found this poor thing in a dump and bought it for twenty bucks." Magnus started the engine and it growled to life, "My dad and I restored it. Well, actually, he restored it and I sat on the hood and ate peanut butter sandwiches."

Alec laughed; he could totally imagine a young Magnus, legs swinging in the air, mouthful of peanut butter, mumbling out how he wanted his car to be purple while his dad did all the work. "Your dad sounds fantastic."

"He was." Magnus said shortly, driving out of the parking lot and idling there, "Where do you live?"

"Over by the institute." Alec replied, "Do you two not hang out anymore?"

"He died."

"Oh…Magnus I'm sorry." Alec felt a sort of thick, mental silence separate the two of them. He barely knew this kid giving him a ride home, but the cold hurt in his green gold eyes made him start to talk, "My dad left us a few years ago. He hasn't come back to see us since and he didn't leave a phone number."

Magnus glanced at him, his posture softening. He made a turn and drove down a road, taking a short cut to the institute, "So it's just you and your mom?"

"And my sister and two brothers." Alec sighed, leaning against the seat, "We're doing alright I guess, but you know…"

"Yeah."

They drove in silence for a little bit and then Magnus suddenly cursed under his breath, startling Alec.

"What's wrong?"

"We have that chemistry test tomorrow, don't we?" Magnus groaned, making another turn, "Dammit. There goes my pathetic excuse of a B in that class."

"You're not good at chemistry?" Alec asked, looking surprised, "But you blew up that mixture perfectly!"

Magnus laughed, and Alec couldn't help but to stare. It was like Magnus's entire body lit up when he laughed. His eyes glowed and his lips parted, revealing perfect white teeth. His eyes narrowed pleasantly and his shoulders shook lightly, "Actually, I think some of my glitter fell into the fire and that's what exploded." Magnus giggled, and then laughed harder, Alec joining in.

"Well, if you want you could come over and study with me." Alec offered, "Oh, that's my house, there, the grey one."

The purple car pulled up alongside the curb smoothly and Magnus pulled the key out, "Really? Because otherwise I'm going to go home and procrastinate like hell."

Alec snorted and grabbed his bag, "Come on, I bet I can get you at least a B on this test."

"Not to doubt you or anything," Magnus replied, grabbing his bag and following Alec up to a slightly intimidating two story house, "but I don't think I can get higher than a C."

"Well, as a thank you for the ride and waiting for me, I'll make sure you know this stuff so well you'll dream about it." Alec promised, and then grinned at Magnus's face. He opened the door and walked in, kicking his shoes off, "I'm home!"

Magnus took his off as well and followed Alec up the carpeted stairs, wondering if his mother was home or not.

"Alec!" A little boy ran out of one of the rooms and hugged his big brother, "Jace is being mean again!"

"I'll talk to him for you." Alec ruffled the boy's hair.

The boy caught sight of Magnus and his eyes widened almost comically, "Alec! Someone followed you home!"

Magnus held back a laugh as Alec rolled his eyes.

"That's Magnus, he's a friend." Alec shooed his brother away. He glanced back at Magnus and grinned, "Sorry about that, Max is a little strange."

"He's hilarious!" Magnus chuckled, and then walked after Alec. They arrived in his room and dumped their stuff on the floor. It was a nice sized bedroom with a double bed in the middle, perfectly made up. A desk was closest to them, with built in book shelves and a computer sitting on top. On the other side of the bed were a closet and a table with some pictures on it. "I like your room."

"Thanks." Alec sat on the bed and dug around his backpack, pulling out his chemistry notebook, "Alright, let's get started."

Magnus grabbed his own notebook and a pencil, sat down next to Alec and tried to pay attention. He really needed a good grade this year.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Alright, when you're done with your tests please bring your papers up." Mrs. Fray said, "Ready…and…begin!"

The class flipped their papers over and began to concentrate.

Magnus stared at the first question; how many electrons in the element Oxygen? He frowned, frantically wracking his memory for the answer. He remembered Alec saying something about electrons…they were the small things whizzing around the atom…right? He stared at the question some more and then, slowly, circled a number. All he recollected was watching Alec. But maybe that would jog his memory? He thought back to their study session, and, slowly at first, but then gaining confidence, Magnus filled out his test.

Mrs. Fray graded all the tests as she got them, and the entire class watched with baited breath as she checked and scratched her red pen across all the papers. Finally, she stood up and began to hand them back, her face unreadable as she did.

Alec got his back first and glanced down at it. He'd gotten an A, but he continued watching for another test.

A paper landed face down in front of Magnus, and the teen just stared at it, wondering if he should look or just shove it in his backpack.

"Well? Are you going to see what you got or what?" Alec hissed impatiently.

Magnus twitched and then reached for it, flipping it over and letting it settled between them. They both stared at the red marks on his paper, and then their eyes traveled upwards to the letter grade; B+. "Ohmygod!" It rushed out of Magnus's mouth, and his heartbeat skipped, "I did it! I passed!" He whisper shouted, turning to look at Alec, joy written all over his face.

A massive smile spread over the football player's face, and a feeling of pride and confidence swept over him. He never felt this happy about his own tests, but seeing Magnus's excited smile made him feel light and giddy, "Fantastic job! I told you I would help you."

"Thank you so much, Alec! You don't know what this means to me." Magnus gasped, still not quite believing what he saw.

Camille looked up to see her best friend sprinting towards her, a piece of paper clutched tightly in his hand. Oh god, did that Lightwood boy write another three worded note that meant nothing? She sighed as her friend threw himself across from her, shoving the paper in her face, "What's this? A love poem?"

"Read it." Magnus panted, his eyes bright.

Camille took it and studied the paper. It was a test, probably chemistry by the looks of it, and then her eyes rested on the grade, "Magnus!"

"I know!"

She looked up, a large smile spreading over her red lips, "Magnus that's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" Camille handed it back, beaming at her friend, "I knew you could do well if you tried!"

"Alec helped me." Magnus purred, staring at the paper like he couldn't believe it was true, "I studied at his house for almost three hours. This was a big test or something, so my grade's now a solid B!"

"This is really, really good." Camille chuckled, incredibly proud of her friend, "If you keep this up, you might even get a scholarship to college!"

"Ha, maybe." Magnus mused, still smiling stupidly down at his test.

"Any reason why you're smiling like a retard?" Simon asked, elbowing his friend as he sat down.

Alec snapped his eyes back to his friend, feeling guilty, "Uh, I got a good grade on a test."

"Psh, you always get good grades." Simon rolled his eyes, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"…it was a hard test."

Simon opened his mouth to say something, probably sarcastic, and then his eyes widened and he whispered, "Shit, Alec look over by the trash cans."

Alec glanced over and narrowed his eyes.

A group of three guys were hanging around there, their clothes torn and filthy, looking like trouble. They were the school gangsters, basically, and almost never showed up for class. But what made Alec's blood run cold was how they were watching Magnus's table. One of them was obviously checking out his blond friend, but the other two were glaring at the back of Magnus's head. Almost like Magnus felt this, the colorful teen sat up straighter and squared his shoulders, ignoring the trio.

"That's not going to end well." Simon mumbled, following the punk's line of sight.

"What do you mean?" Alec muttered, still watching the group.

"They have their sights set on blondie over there, and obviously they think that kid with the glitter is a threat."

Alec watched as the trio continued staring before walking out, pushing some kid to the floor as they went, "They left. Everything's fine."

"Maybe." Simon said, turning back to his sandwich, "I'm just glad I'm not the glitter-kid."

The bell rang and Magnus stood and stretched, glad to be out of his cramped position over the sewing machine. He put away all his fabric and thread, said goodbye to his teacher, and headed out to the parking lot, swinging his backpack over his shoulders as he went. He walked around the back of the school, near the football field, where he'd started parking out of habit. He wasn't giving Camille a ride home today, so Magnus was looking forward to some alone time with his baby, before something came out of nowhere and struck him in the back of the head. He fell to the ground and stars exploded behind his eyes.

Someone above him laughed and kicked him hard, but he refused to cry out, instead lashing out and catching whoever it was right in the shin.

Magnus scrambled to his feet, his head ringing, and frowned as three large guys stood in front of him, reeking of cigarette smoke and something sweet, maybe alcohol, "The fuck is your problem?" He spat, glaring at the trio.

"You are, faggot." One of the men drawled, grinning horribly and revealing nicotine stained teeth, "We like that blond bitch you hang out with, so back off pretty boy."

"Fuck you." Was all Magnus snapped in response, "I don't take orders from Neanderthals."

"I'm not a…nander doll." Another one snarled.

"Ohhh careful sweetie." Magnus sneered, "Don't hurt yourself using big words." It was wrong to goad these three in a fight, Magnus wasn't stupid, but something about them really pissed him off. Besides, it felt good to get some sassiness out of his system. What he wasn't expecting was for one of them to lunge at him, swinging his fist and catching him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Magnus coughed, his eyes wide in surprise, and then brought his own fist around, striking his attacker across the cheek. The blow wasn't very hard, due to the fact Magnus never got into fights, but the sharp ring he wore did most of the damage.

With a howl the attacker jerked back, blood spurting out of his cheek. He screamed out a number of words that would have made Magnus's hair curl if it hadn't been gelled.

"Such vocabulary!" Magnus panted, his body aching, "Your mother must be so proud."

After practice Alec headed for the parking lot, deciding to call his sister for a ride home. He'd almost hit the call button on his cell when a cut off cry of pain reached his ears. He frowned and snapped his phone shut, jogging over to where he'd heard the sound. Alec rounded the corner and felt something inside of him drop out of his stomach.

The three assholes from before were now surrounding a person, two of them holding him against the brick wall while the other hit him repeatedly in the stomach.

Not pausing to think, Alec dropped his backpack and ran over, slamming into the third guy in a tackle that would have made his coach cry with happiness. He sat up and swung his fist down, smashing it against the man's face and breaking his nose. He hit him again, just for good measure, and then leapt up and took on the other two.

They didn't seem very smart, both of them rushing Alec at once, teeth bared, fists raised, completely open. And then they were on him, and Alec snarled, attacking with just as much vigor.

Punches flew and Alec took them all in stride, used to abuse from his football experience. He grabbed one of the guys by the back of his head and slammed his fist into his face, hearing something crack and give way underneath his knuckles. A fierce, savage pleasure rose up in him, and he bared his teeth in a snarl as he took on the next guy, hitting him repeatedly in the stomach and collar bone, damaging his sternum for good measure.

One of them, Alec notice in the middle of his fight, had one hell of a nasty looking slash mark across his face. He brought his fist up and punched him in the cut, earning a scream of pain. They scrambled away from him, picking up their fallen comrade and getting the hell out of there.

Alec stood there for a second, his blood surging, debating whether or not to chase after them, when he remembered the victim. "Magnus!" He ran over and crouched by him.

Magnus had fallen when the two gangsters had let him go to attack Alec, and now he lay on his back, staring up at the sky.

"Magnus, hey talk to me. Are you alright? Is anything broken?" Alec, not knowing a thing about first aid, just fluttered his hands over his friend anxiously, not knowing what the hell to do. There was blood on Magnus's right hand, and it looked like he'd split his knuckles. His shirt had some blood on it too, but Alec wasn't sure if that was his or one of the assholes, "Magnus!"

"…Alec, that you?"

"Yes! Yes it's me." Alec felt his breath leave his body, "Shit man, you scared me!"

"…sorry." Magnus's lips twitched into a half assed grin.

"Hold on while I call someone." Alec fished his phone out and dialed the number he'd been about to call. It rang a couple times and then somebody picked up.

"What the hell Alec! I've been waiting here for twenty minutes!"

"Izzy! I need your help. I'm behind the school and one of my friends was attacked. He's hurt bad, can you bring the car's First Aid kit?"

"Yeah I'll be right there."

Alec snapped the phone shut and looked back over at Magnus. He seemed alright, at least he wasn't screaming in agony or anything. Soon hurried footsteps approached them, and Alec leaped up and met the person.

A tall, beautiful girl with long black hair exactly like Alec's ran over and dropped down by Magnus's side, holding a small green box, "Where's the bleeding?"

"His knuckles and I think his stomach, I didn't check."

Magnus coughed, startling them, "It's not too bad on my stomach, mostly bruising." He struggled to sit up but was easily restrained by Alec's hands on his shoulders. He hissed and winced, but didn't try to sit up again.

"Stay put." Alec ordered.

The girl opened the box and started treating him, first working on his knuckles, "Jeez what did you hit? A cinder block?"

"No, a thick skull."

She laughed and cleaned the cut, placing a long strip of cotton over it and then taping it on. "I'm Isabelle, by the way. I'm Alec's sister."

"I'm Magnus."

"Yes, now shut up." Alec snapped, "At least until we can tell if you need to go to the hospital or not."

Magnus's reaction was instantaneous, "NO! No hospitals!" He jerked upright and then yelped, hunching over and hugging his midsection.

"Magnus!" Alec pushed him into his back and held him there, "Calm down! We won't take you to a hospital!"

"We might." Isabelle muttered, and then catching both their looks, one furious the other unreadable, added, "But we won't." She moved Magnus's shirt up and winced, her mouth pressing into a thin line.

Magnus's tan stomach was an array of ugly bruising. There was obviously a lot of internal bleeding, and his stomach was turning a dark purple color.

"Shit…that's a lot of blood." Alec muttered, staring at the damage, "Magnus, are you sure you don't want to go to a hospital?"

"Yes." He tried to sit up again but failed and ended up struggling feebly under Alec's hands. "I'm fine, really, I just need to go home and take a hot bath."

"No, you need ice. And lots of it." Isabelle sat up, snapping the First Aid kit closed, "Can we come back to your place?"

"…that's not a good idea." Magnus said quietly.

"Look, I'm sure your parents won't be hard on you once they see what's happened." Isabelle argued, she caught Alec's eye and glared, "What?"

"Isabelle, go home ok? I'll ride the bus. Tell mom that I'm still at practice and coach is being an ass or something. It's Friday anyway, mom won't question it."

"But—"

"Isabelle. Please."

She glared at her brother and then down at his friend, who'd given up his fight and was just lying there. "Fine. But if you're not home by dinner time I'm coming after you. I don't care where you are."

"Love you too, Iz." Alec smiled.

She huffed and left, her black hair swinging behind her.

Alec looked down at Magnus, his expression peculiar, "Alright, we have a couple options here. I can sneak into the school and steal some ice, because you really, really need to put ice on that."

"Don't do something stupid for me." Magnus grumbled, "Look, call your sister back."

"Why?"

"Please."

Alec frowned and then shouted over his shoulder for her. He heard her answering shout and then turned back, "Ok, what now?"

"My pocket, left one, get my cell out please."

"Magnus, if you need us to give you a ride—?"

"Please, Alec."

"…okay." He reached into the impossibly tight jeans and managed, not without some muttered curses, to get the phone out. By this time Isabelle had arrived and was standing there, hip cocked.

"Speed dial, number one." Magnus closed his eyes, relaxing into the dirt, "Her name's Camille. Tell her what happened, who you are, and tell her to come get me."

"Magnus, we can take you home. I'll take you back, really." Alec started, and then fell silent when Magnus said nothing. He hit the button and listened to it ring.

"Hey! Where are you? Still swooning over your test?"

"Uh, this is Alexander. I'm a friend of Magnus's."

"I know who you are. Why do you have my best friend's phone?"

Alec made a face at her drastic change of tone. He quickly explained everything, leaving out Magnus's little freak out about the hospital, and then asked her to come. Her response was immediate.

"I'll be there in five minutes. Don't leave him alone, understand?"

"I wasn't going to."

"Good."

The call disconnected and Alec stared, "Is she always…?"

"Yep." Magnus smiled, a little strangely, but a smile.

Isabelle raised an eyebrow, "Whose Camille? Your girlfriend?"

"Nah, she's my best friend." Magnus coughed, and then winced, "We've been friends since…damn I dunno, kindergarten?"

Alec was surprised by his surge of dislike towards this Camille person. What did it matter if Magnus had a friend from so long ago? Why did it bother him?

"You two can go home if you want." Magnus sighed, opening his eyes, "Thanks a lot for saving my ass."

"I'll wait." Alec sat, sitting down and adopting a look of pure stubbornness.

"I'll be in the car. Nice meeting you Magnus."

"Oh yes, very nice." Magnus snorted, and then grinned. After she left, he looked over at Alec, "Don't let Camille get to you. She's a cold bitch but a fantastic friend."

"Your definition of friend is a little different from mine." Alec chuckled, looking down at Magnus, "Do you know why those assholes attacked you?"

"No, but I think they suspected the same thing you did; that Camille and I are dating."

Another surge of dislike, "Should you warn her?"

Magnus laughed suddenly, and then doubled over, "Ouch, ouch shit ow. Ah, no she's a tough chicky, unlike me."

"I saw that cut you opened up on that guys face," Alec remembered, "he's going to need at least four stitches. I think that's a little tough, don't you?"

Magnus looked up at him, a strange expression on his face. He opened his mouth to say something when a shout interrupted them.

"MAGNUS!" Camille came flying over; wearing what looked like a red cocktail dress. Why a high school student would have one, let alone wear it, was far beyond Alec. "Shit, are you alright? What the hell happened?"

Alec scooted away, feeling very much like a third wheel as the blond hovered over her friend, gently picking him up like he weighed almost nothing. "Bye Magnus, feel better."

"Thanks for saving me." Magnus smiled, and then was carried back to the parking lot, "Did you drive?"

"No, I took a cab. Shit, Magnus, are you ok?" Camille asked, looking over her friend with worry. She carried him to his car and set him down, letting him lean on her as she opened the door and he collapsed into the seat.

"No, I'm not. But apparently ice will help." Magnus muttered, not bothering with a seatbelt as Camille jumped in and drove off.

"Where to?"

"My place. I'm sure we have ice."

Camille said nothing, just stepped on the gas and drove like a wild woman. It was typical New Yorker driving, reminding Magnus of when they used to live in Brooklyn. He'd been so thankful when they both ended up moving to the same place. He couldn't have bared to be parted with his only friend.

"He beat those assholes up you know." Magnus whispered, letting his eyes drop and exhaustion took over, "He's my knight in shining amor."

"You mean armor?"

"No, amor means 'love' in Spanish." Magnus sighed, smiling sleepily, and then finally slipped under.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Alec spent the rest of the weekend doing nothing but worrying. He couldn't sleep very well, so he'd stay up and read and try not to think. He couldn't eat, couldn't sit still, and worked out vigorously just so he'd pass out at night and hopefully not dream. His family had started to notice, but no one knew why except one person.

"Alec, if it's bothering you so much why don't you call him?" Isabelle finally said, confronting her brother as he left Saturday's night's dinner untouched.

"I don't have his number." Alec snapped, too keyed up to even try to keep his temper.

"I do." Isabelle raised an eyebrow, "I have everyone's number. His name's Magnus, right?" She pulled out her phone and started scrolling. She looked through her contacts, and then looked again, "That's so weird…I have everyone's number except his…is he new?"

"New? I…I don't know." Alec realized, slightly flabbergasted. "Let me ask Jace." With a new purpose in mind, Alec ran up the stairs and knocked loudly on his brother's door, "Jace!"

The door opened and a ruffled blond head stuck out, "Alec, hey you alright? You didn't eat much…uh…at all this weekend." He grinned at his brother.

"I need a phone number. Isabelle doesn't have it, maybe you do."

"Sure, whose?"

"Magnus."

"…who?"

"Magnus." Alec repeated impatiently.

"No I don't think so. I'd remember a name like that." Jace frowned.

Alec felt his heart sink down to his shoes and then he gasped, "What about Camille?"

"Camille? The ice queen? Shit, Alec, you don't want to take her to homecoming, do you?" Jace joked, "I mean, take anyone but her!"

"Number." Alec growled, not in the mood for games.

Camille was sitting in her bed, pouring over a magazine with her nose curled. This slut was totally cheating on her man; I mean nobody's happy with the same person after seven years! She giggled, she wasn't happy with the same person for seven minutes. Except Magnus of course. She sighed and flipped the page, smirking at the gossip column.

The phone went off, an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen. With a loud sigh she picked it up, "Hello?"

"Camille? Hi, this is Alexander."

"I know who you are." Her mouth twitched upwards, not so much a smile but more of a predatory smirk, "What do you want?"

"Magnus's number. I don't have it and I wanted to check up on him."

She was impressed to say the least. This kid didn't beat around the bush, which was good because she hated people who did. "Why should I give it to you? Maybe he doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Camille, I need to talk to him. I just want to make sure he's alright."

Camille felt her smirk slip from her face at the tone he was using. It was worry mixed with anxiety and something a little deeper. Fear? She didn't think he was aware of how pitiful he sounded, "Alright, I'll text it to you." She snapped her phone shut and texted him the number, wondering if she was doing the right thing for her friend.

The phone rang, startling Magnus out of his dozing. He'd been about to go to sleep, feeling sleepy and full for the first time in a few months. He yawned and picked up his cell phone, not checking the number as he answered, "Hello?"

"Magnus? It's Alec. Are you doing alright?"

Magnus snapped awake, a large smile stretching over his face, "Alec! Yes, I'm doing fine. I put ice on like you said. I think the swellings going down, and most of the bruising is turning a rather yucky shade of yellow."

"So you're ok. That's good, I was…I mean I didn't know if you'd put ice on or not…"

Magnus curled up in his bed, hugging his comforter to his chest and smiling at the concern in his voice, "I'm just fine, Alec. You don't have to worry."

"I wasn't worrying…"

"Oh I'm sure you weren't." Magnus chuckled.

"Did your mom give you hell when she saw you?"

"She doesn't know. I only got hit once in the face but I used concealer to cover it up."

"What's concealer? Do you get into fights so much you needed to buy that stuff?"

Magnus laughed, and then winced, "Ow shit, ha, sorry. I have to remember not to laugh so much right now." He relaxed back into bed, cradling the phone between his cheek and his shoulder, "Concealer is a make-up product you use to cover stuff, like acne or a nasty bruise."

"Huh. That's handy."

"No kidding. And just for your information; I don't get into fights at all. I think that was my first fight since…sixth grade…?"

"What happened in sixth grade?"

Magnus snorted loudly, "Some homophobic assholes thought all gay kids were wimpy and tried to beat me up. I had much better luck in that fight. Although, Camille did cut in half way through." He smiled when he heard Alec's quite laugh, feeling strangely relieved that now his crush knew his sexuality. He was pretty obvious, but Magnus figured for somebody like Alec, he might need reminding.

"Well hopefully that's the last fight you'll be in. I better go, but I'll see you at school on Monday, right?"

"Yup! See you then!" Magnus hung up and then instantly went back through his cell phone, saving the number under Alec. Then, almost as a second thought, put him on speed dial number seven, smiling as he saved it.

Alec got to chemistry class early, nervous all over again to see if Magnus was alright. But when his friend walked in, wearing his usual loud colors and flamboyant hair coloring, he felt a relieved sigh escape him. He smiled and moved his stuff over and Magnus swung himself up onto the stool, rolling his eyes as Mrs. Fray tried to silence the class before the bell.

"Students! Will you be quiet! I have something to tell you!" She snapped, and then snorted as Sebastian fell off his stool. "Detention, Sebastian."

"Awww…"

"Now shut up everyone!"

The class fell silent, a few giggles were heard, but those people were quickly taken care of under Mrs. Fray's evil eye.

"As you know, homecoming is next Friday. You and your date will spend the evening in the gym, and not anywhere else! If I catch anyone in the locker rooms, behind the school, or anywhere else, I will make you sorry."

No one doubted her for a second.

"I'll be handing out pamphlets on the dance including dress code, behavior…" She went on talking, but the two teens in the back had already tuned her out.

"So, any hot dates?" Magnus whispered to Alec, and then grinned as his friend blushed.

"No, I don't do dances." Alec mumbled, "What about you?"

"Me? You kidding?" Magnus snorted, "Yeah, I have men lining up at my front door, just begging to be seen with me in public."

Alec rolled his eyes and elbowed his friend, "Come on, I'm sure there's someone."

"There is, but he's not available at the moment." Magnus sighed, looking a little sad.

An almost too familiar feeling of dislike struck Alec again, but this time it was aimed at whoever Magnus had a crush on. It took him a second, but suddenly he realized what it was; jealously. This just confused him even more, why should he care if Magnus liked someone? Shouldn't he be happy?

"So Camille and I are probably going together, but as soon as we get there she's gonna go man hunting or something." He looked over at his friend, "I'm surprised at you though, being a football player and a big shot. I'd have thought for sure girls would line up at your door."

"Eh." Was all Alec said, feeling uncomfortable talking about girls and dating. It just wasn't his thing.

Alec stared at himself in the bedroom mirror, feeling like he was made out of lead. He was dressed in an expensive suit his mother had bought him, a crisp navy jacket and slacks, making his eyes appear even bluer, underneath he wore a white collared shirt. His stomach was twisting itself in knots, and he felt like throwing up. He was taking some girl to this dance, someone Jace had introduced to him, but it felt all wrong. Every little bit of it felt wrong. He sighed and walked out of room and downstairs, meeting Jace and his date, Clary. He felt a little bad for Simon, but brushed that away when his date came downstairs.

She was beautiful, with soft brown hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She was wearing a silver, shoulder less dress, baring her smooth, dark skin to the soft light. She really was beautiful. Her name was Mia, Alec remembered suddenly. Mia. His date.

"You look great." He said truthfully, managing a smile.

She smiled down at him and held out her hand, taking his and holding it firmly. "You look pretty handsome too, Alec."

He squeezed her hand and then followed Jace and Clary out to the car. Jace was driving, so Mia and Alec climbed in the back, still holding hands. She was a nice girl, and it just made Alec feel worse.

They arrived, parked and walking out into the steady stream of students heading towards the gym. Alec cast his eye around the crowd, looking for a couple he knew was going to be there.

"Looking for someone?" Mia asked sweetly, smiling up at her date.

"Um yeah, a friend of mine." Alec smiled back a little stiffly, and then led her to the gym.

It was hard to tell if there was a theme or not, but if Alec had to guess he'd say no. It was dark but the homecoming committee had done a good job with the lights. They'd taken stage lights and covered them in colored paper, giving the gym an interesting array of colors. Someone had brought a smoke machine and there was a light covering of smoke over the floor. It was a nice dance setting, for a school. There was a DJ and upbeat music; couples were dancing with each other in the middle of the floor, some a little too close together.

"Want to dance with me?" Mia asked, looking towards the dancing bodies eagerly.

No. Alec thought, but aloud he said, "Yeah, let's go." He walked behind her as she led him to the floor, taking a moment to be grateful to all those horrible dance lessons he'd suffered through when he was younger, so at least he wouldn't make a complete ass of himself.

Mia wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he took her waist, spinning them around and dancing to the music. They danced with the other couples, Alec always being courteous and smiling whenever he met her eye, but kept subtly searching for that one person. After two songs he finally saw him, and it took all his willpower not to grin.

He was wearing a dark purple suit, obviously sequenced, with coattails and was escorting Camille, who was wearing a red ball gown like-dress, towards the dancing couples. As strange as their outfits were, it suited them perfectly, and Camille's dress got some envious looks as she walked by, smirking.

"Who are you looking at?" Mia turned and caught sight of the pair, "Oh wow."

"Yeah."

"She's beautiful."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. She is." Alec winced at how unconvincing he sounded, but apparently that was the best thing to do because his date smiled up at him warmly and turned to continue dancing. They finished the third, or maybe the fourth?, song and Mia pressed against him, stopping Alec's heart for the wrong reasons. She smiled nervously at him and leaned in, her eyes sliding closed.

Oh shit. Alec felt like someone had frozen him, he couldn't breathe, couldn't think, but not in the way you're supposed to feel with someone. He felt her press her lips against his, soft and warm, and he reeled back in shock, his eyes wide.

"Alec? I'm sorry I thought…" She looked hurt and confused, and Alec mentally slapped himself.

"Mia, it's not you. I'm sorry I just…" He felt sick now, and the urge to just run was overwhelming. But he wasn't about to leave this poor girl alone on homecoming night without an explanation, "I'm sorry Mia."

"There's someone else, isn't there?" She asked softly, her shoulders slumping.

Alec couldn't say anything, just stare at her.

"It's ok. I'm glad you didn't kiss me if you like someone." She smiled at him, "You're a really nice guy, Alec. You'll make her very happy. I know it." She hugged him briefly and then walked off, looking very alone in the crowd of couples.

The bottom just dropped out of Alec's world, and he turned and ran, not knowing where he was going. He just had to leave.

Magnus had been watching the whole thing, first with curiosity, then burning jealously, and lastly sad understanding, "Camille…?"

"Yeah yeah, go do your thing." She smiled and waved him off, her eyes already scoring the couples for someone to steal. "Have fun sweetie."

Sparing a smile for her, he hurried after Alec, dodging around people and then slipping into the locker room, shutting the door softly. He straightened up and looked around the dark room, his pupils dilating. He could see someone sitting on one of the benches, across the lockers, head in his hands. Carefully, Magnus walked over and sat next to his friend, not saying anything.

Alec looked over and felt his breath leave him for the second time this evening, but this time it wasn't painful as it was surprising, "Magnus…?"

"Hey, Alec." Magnus said softly, watching his friend.

"…did you see…?"

"Yeah."

Alec groaned and buried his head back in hands, "I feel like shit. She was such a nice girl, cute, funny, and smart. Everything. But I couldn't…"

"Alec, it's ok." Magnus whispered, putting an arm around him, "She just wasn't right for you, it's ok."

"She said she thought there was someone else. Someone else I like."

"…is there?"

"I don't know." Alec moaned, gripping his hair tightly in his fingers. "I don't know anymore!"

"Alec, hey, it's fine. It's just one girl, don't freak out." Magnus comforted him.

"But it's not just one, Magnus. I've gone to homecoming before you know. Some girl tried the same thing and…I felt like I was going to hurl."

"Charming." Magnus chuckled, and was rewarded by a sarcastic snort from his crush.

Alec slowly sat up, sighing and looking over at Magnus, a funny smile on his face, "By the way, I like your suit."

Magnus beamed, standing up and spinning around, "Isn't it fantastic?"

"Ha, yeah it is." Alec stood and reached out, resting his hand very gently on Magnus's stomach, freezing him in place, "Are you completely healed now?"

"Yeah…" Magnus said a little breathily, looking stunned from the contact. He didn't so much as twitch as Alec moved in front of him, barely a hands with apart.

"I'm glad…" Alec replied quietly, his blue eyes flickering up and meeting exotic green gold eyes. He felt his stomach fill with butterflies instead of knots, and his heart beat sped up. He felt nervous, but in a good, excited way. Closing the distance between them, he gently pressed his lips against Magnus's, holding his waist tenderly.

Magnus gasped softly as Alec's soft lips met his own, unfreezing his body and he let his eyes slide closed. He reached over and held Alec to him, kissing him back with a little more pressure. He made a soft sound of pleasure as he felt Alec press him against the lockers, kissing him with more confidence.

A shiver of suppressed longing traveled up Alec's spine as he kissed Magnus, and he moved closer, holding their bodies together and moaning softly when Magnus slid his hands up and tugged on his hair. This was different than kissing Mia. This felt right, and new, and dangerous, and arousing. This felt like it should, and it chased away the bad night. He broke away, feeling breathless, and looked up at Magnus, the nervous feeling redoubling.

Slowly, Magnus's eyes opened and met Alec's blue eyes. His lips were still parted and looked red from the kiss, and his eyes were unnaturally bright, "Alec…"

Alec met his questioning stare, feeling heat rise up in his face, "Magnus?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you go to homecoming with me?"

A slow, warm smile spread over Magnus's lips and he reached out, pulling Alec back against him, "Yes." He breathed, before kissing him again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Magnus arrived home and walked inside, closing the door, and feeling like he was walking on air. His lips still tingled where Alec had kissed him, and he knew he had a silly smile on his face. It was past midnight as he started to creep up the stairs.

"Maggie? Is that you?"

Magnus froze, his happy smile disappearing, "Mom, go back to bed."

"Maggie, where were you?"

It was too dark to see anything, but Magnus refused to budge off the middle step, staring up at the top of the stairs. Was that a dark silhouette? "I was at homecoming."

"Are you going to leave me too, Maggie? Don't leave me."

Magnus swallowed thickly, hating how his eyes burned in the back of his head, threatening tears, "No mom. Go back to bed. Everything's fine."

"Maggie, don't you love me anymore?"

"I love you mom." Magnus whispered, his throat constricting.

There was silence, and then a rustling noise as Magnus's mom went away, softly closing her bedroom door behind her.

Magnus ran up the steps, fighting back tears, and locked himself in his bedroom, clinging desperately to the last happy feeling he'd had in a long time. He stripped his suit off and carefully hung it in his closet and then curled into bed in his boxers, staring at his cell phone. His finger hovered over the number seven, and then he switched to one and hit call.

"Magnus? It's so late."

"You're always up at weird hours of the morning."

"…Magnus, you should terrible, are you ok?"

Magnus sighed, his voice breaking as he started to speak. He stopped, cleared his throat, and tried again, "I'm fine, actually I'm terrific."

"…but?"

"But I got home tonight and my mom was up."

"Oh honey…"

"It wasn't too bad this time." Magnus whispered, "She went to bed after a couple minutes."

"Are you ok? Do you want to sleep over?"

"No, I'll be alright. But don't want to talk about that. I want to talk about Alec." Magnus smiled, the thought of blue eyes chasing away his pain, "He kissed me."

"Oh Magnus, really?"

"Yeah, and HE kissed ME." Magnus whispered shouted, "It was the most romantic thing. He pressed me up against the lockers and held me around my waist."

"Oooh are you going to recite a porn scene to me? Hold on while I change into something comfortable."

Magnus snorted, "No way, those are my porn fantasies. Back off woman."

They laughed quietly, and then Camille spoke, "I'm really happy for you, Magnus. Are you an item now?"

"No, I don't think so…" Magnus sighed, pouting a bit, "But I'll figure it out. I really like him, Camille."

"I know."

Magnus smiled, feeling suddenly tired and happy. It had been one of the best nights of his life, and he was going to imprint it to memory. "I'm going to bed now, g'night ice bitch."

"G'night diva bitch."

Magnus chuckled and hung up, burrowing under the covers and falling asleep, thinking of blue eyes and soft lips.

Alec was gently shaken awake from his dreams of green-gold eyes, making a sleepy noise of irritation. He opened his eyes and squinted at whoever was waking him, "Wassit…?"

"Alexander, wake up." A woman said, her hard voice surprisingly soft as she woke her eldest son, "We're going to the lake today, remember? I've already packed your bag so just get dressed and meet us downstairs, alright?"

"Yeah." Alec mumbled, yawning loudly. He'd forgotten about their trip, and he couldn't say he was looking forward to the three hours in the car with his family. Grumbling, Alec flailed around until he disentangled himself from the sheets. Groaning, he managed to get up and get dressed, grabbing his cell phone and shoving it in his pocket as he walked downstairs.

They were waiting for him, and Jace looked like he hadn't slept at all, "Shotgun." He mumbled, and then staggered out to the car.

Isabelle rolled her eyes and led Max out after her brother, Alec following behind with his mom.

"Sorry to wake you." Maryse said, checking her blackberry, "But I completely forgot about the trip."

Alec highly doubted this, but was spared answering by his phone alerting him of a text. He climbed in the car next to his sister and leaned away from her, smiling faintly at the text.

_Awake yet?_

He texted back an affirmative and then looked up as everyone else got in the car, Jace slumped against the window, instantly snoring. He rolled his eyes and leaned against the window as well, phone in hand, eagerly waiting for Magnus's reply. Last night had sparked something in him; something about the proud, colorful teen just stole Alec's breath away. At first he'd been terrified that kissing him wasn't the right thing to do, but afterwards, when they had really started to talk, Alec discovered about his friend's crush. Alec, of course, had blushed and mumbled out how he wasn't anything special, and then yelped in surprise when Magnus had kissed him sweetly and told him differently. And now, as his phone buzzed in his hand, he couldn't help the small, tender smile that lifted his lips.

_I could barley sleep last night. What are you doing now?_

Alec told him about their family trip, making sure to voice his displeasure about it as he did so. So much had happened last night. They'd talked for hours, actually getting to know each other a little better. Magnus had told him that he watched him practice before class, and Alec told him how he'd never kissed another guy before. They'd held hands the entire time, and it left a wonderful, tingly feeling in his chest.

"Alec, how was the dance last night?" Maryse, his mother, asked. Her voice was slightly distracted, obviously more interested in driving than her son's non-existent love life.

"The dance was nice." Alec mumbled, waiting eagerly for the next text.

Isabelle glanced at him. She was sitting in the middle seat, and seemed to be aware that Alec wasn't quite telling everything.

A horrible feeling swept over Alec; had she seen them last night? What had happened with Mia? But his bad feelings were chased away when Magnus texted back.

_That sucks. I wish we could hang out. I'm wearing something you'd like._

Alec blushed, and then mentally slapped himself. It was probably just something colorful; after all, Alec had told Magnus he thought he was really brave for wearing such outlandish outfits. After a pause, debating silently with himself, he answered, _I usually like what you wear._

"Who are you texting?" Isabelle asked, loudly, and then smirked when Alec yelped and almost dropped his phone. "Oh, so maybe the dance wasn't 'just nice'?"

"Don't be stupid." Alec grumbled, looking irritated.

Maryse glanced at her children in the back and continued driving. She didn't say anything until Alec's phone buzzed again, "Who is texting you, Alexander? That girl from the dance?"

Alec was spared from interrupting by Jace crying out in his sleep and lashing out, striking the dashboard violently and then swearing in his sleep, settling back against the window.

"What on earth…" Maryse muttered, glancing at her blond headed child.

_Guess what I'm wearing now. _

Glad that the attention was focused on Jace, he quickly tried to contain his blush. He really wished he could let his mind wander, but he was in the car with his family, texting the guy he wanted to be his boyfriend. With a suppressed sigh, he texted back; _ A hat?_

Isabelle glanced over at the screen, "Who's got a hat?"

"Isabelle!" He snarled, jerking away from her, "Privacy?"

"Not in this family." She muttered, glaring mutinously at him. "Who is wearing a hat?"

The phone buzzed, and Alec twisted away from his sister to read the text.

_Cute, Alec. I'll give you a hint; feathers._

Oh god, what in the world was Magnus wearing? Alec, feeling his heartbeat speed up, fought back a smile. After a quick pause, he responded; _A very fancy hat?_

"Who are you texting?" Isabelle asked again, her eyes gleaming evilly. "Alec, have you got a girlfriend?"

"Don't be vulgar."

"Oh, a boyfriend?" She teased, unprepared for the reaction.

"Isabelle!" Alec snarled, his blue eyes pinning her to her seat, "Shut up! I can text whoever I like without having some form of relationship with them!"

As Alec was saying this, Maryse glanced over her shoulder distractedly, "Who's got a boyfriend? Isabelle? Is it one of those boys I never meet?"

"No mom." Isabelle sighed, giving Alec a slightly apologetic look. She wasn't trying to upset her brother, but she seemed to have touched a nerve. Maybe he was texting that girl from the dance…what's her name…Mia?

Alec looked down at his phone, glad of the distraction.

_Not a hat, Alec. Try again. _

Smiling faintly, Alec tried to avoid the question; _Sorry, it's hard to think with my entire family bitching at me all at once. _

The response to the text was instantaneous; _Have you told them about you? Or me? _

_No. _Alec hit the send button forcefully, his good feeling fading. He had told Magnus about him still being in the closet, admitting that he hadn't had the nerve to tell them.

_Well, they're all right there. They can't walk away. Why not now?_

Alec's heartbeat tripled, and not for a good reason. Tell his family? About his…preferences? About Magnus? _ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? My mother would be so shocked she'd run us into a tree!_

Isabelle looked over his shoulder, and, keeping her voice low, whispered; "That would save us a slow death at the lake." She blinked at Alec's murderous look and backed off, rolling her eyes.

_Would you like to know what I'm wearing?_

Relieved by the change in topic, Alec sent a tentative yes. What he received made him blush fire engine red and snap his phone shut so suddenly that even Max have him a weird look. His face burning, stomach full of butterflies, and a strange ache in his body, Alec desperately tried to erase the picture from his mind.

Magnus had sent him a picture (most likely taken by Camille) of himself dressed what looked like an enormous feather boa. It was a head and shoulder's shot, so it was impossible to tell what else he was wearing, but the bright red feathers dominated the photo. Magnus himself had added red streaks so his hair along with a scary amount of eye shadow. He was smirking at the camera, obviously aware of what the picture would do to Alec.

The bastard.

Magnus was bent double, howling with laughter, clawing at Camille's bedpost for support as he sent the picture. Camille was sitting on her bed, a massive grin on her face, giggling when Magnus collapsed on the floor.

"You're being mean to the poor boy."

Unable to say anything, Magnus could only giggle helplessly, only to choke as a feather landed in his mouth. Coughing, he sat up and pushed the boa down, sighing happily, "I can picture his face…"

"Poor boy." Camille repeated, not looking like she actually felt any sympathy at all towards Alec. It had been her idea in the first place.

After not receiving a text back, Magnus decided to send one anyway; _Like it?_

"You had better not defile my feather boa." Camille warned, smiling as he friend hopped onto the bed next to her, swatting her with the end of the boa.

"Wouldn't dream of it, darling." He sniggered, and then brightened up as his phone buzzed.

_I think I had a heart attack._

Giggling, Magnus showed the text to Camille who just rolled her eyes. "What should I say back?"

"God, Magnus, are you in junior high?" She snorted, reaching for a magazine.

Sticking his tongue out, he turned back to his phone, smiling as wrote back; _The good kind or bad kind?_

The next text took a little while to arrive, but when it did Magnus chuckled.

_I'm not telling you that. You'll just do it again._

Camille glanced over his shoulder, "Wow, it's like he knows you already. So what's the plan? Are you going to ask him to be your man?"

"Over a text? Good god no." Magnus sniffed, writing back, "Besides, I don't know if he's interested in a relationship with me…"

"He kissed you." Camille raised an eyebrow.

"Liking me and wanting a relationship while still being a closet gay are two completely different things." Magnus sighed, sending off his text.

"Magnus, that's exactly why you should ask him." She sighed, "He's probably waiting for you to bring it up. He's never been in a relationship with a guy before, so he doesn't know what to expect."

"Well…school starts on…Tuesday, right? We have Monday off?"

"Yeah?"

"So I'll talk to him then."

Camille stared her friend down, "You're avoiding it."

"No I'm not." Magnus protested, and then turned his attention to his phone when it buzzed. He yelped when Camille snatched it from him, holding it away from his reach, "Camille! That's Alec!"

"Why are you avoiding it?" She challenged, not letting him have the phone, and leaning back when he tried to climb over her to get to it.

"Camille!"

"Why, Magnus. You obviously like him. Why are you avoiding it?" She demanded, easily ducking away from him and standing up, balancing on the bed and towering over him, still holding the phone, "Magnus."

He glared at her, "Because!"

"Because why?"

"Because I don't want to mess this up!" He snapped, ripping the phone from her hand. He turned away from her and started texting back, not saying anything as she slowly sat beside him. It was only until he'd sent the message did he elaborate, "You're my only friend, Camille. Honestly, I think you're the only person who cares about me."

"You're mom—"

"My mother," Magnus said, his voice twisted like broken glass, "half of the time she doesn't remember she has a son. You are it for me, Camille. You're all I've got. And now there's Alec. He makes me smile, and do well in Chemistry, and I wanted to kiss him forever until the day I die. I'm avoiding asking him because of the chance he says no. And then what do I do?"

The phone buzzed again, making Camille jump slightly. She reached over and hugged her friend from behind, resting her cheek against the feather boa, "You're my best friend too, Magnus. I just want to see you happy."

"…ice bitch."

"Diva bitch." She smiled, "Call him later, when he's alone. Tell him to text you when he has a moment and then call and talk to him."

Magnus stared down at his phone.

"For the last time! He's a friend! Not Mia, not my secret girlfriend, a friend!" Alec cried, finally losing patience with his family. "Just drop it!"

To his surprise, Jace came to his rescue.

"It's all cool, Alec. We're just messing with you." He grinned at his brother from the mirror, "Now, Clary and I on the other hand. She's defiantly not my friend."

"Oh Jace," Their mother sighed, "please, please be careful. I don't want a call from this girls parents, saying you got her pregnant or—"

"Mom!"Jace exclaimed, sitting upright.

"Yeah, really mom." Isabelle grinned, "Haven't you seen all the condoms in his room?"

Alec was spared the rest of the conversation by his phone buzzing. He looked down and read the message.

_Can you text me the next time you're alone? I want to talk to you._

Alone? Alec felt his stomach flutter like a bird was trapped inside. They were almost at the lake by this point, so he responded with a quick; _I've got to go. I'll text you when I'm alone. _He then shut his phone off and stared out the window, wondering what he'd just agreed to.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

It wasn't until Monday, however, that Alec managed to get away from his family. They were out by the lake, Max and Jace having a 'who can make the largest belly-flop splash' competition while Maryse and Isabelle looked on. Alec walked around the back of the house in his swim trunks, dialing a now familiar number. He'd texted him earlier, and Magnus had told him to just call when he could.

"Alec?"

Alec hadn't heard his voice since homecoming night, and it filled him with nerves and a shiver of excitement, "Hi." He mentally winced at the lameness of the greeting. He felt his heartbeat increase and he sat down on one of the deck chairs, leaning back.

"Hey there. Still alive?"

He chuckled, "Just barely. We're heading back tonight anyway; I don't think I can stand sharing a bed with Jace for another night."

"Snores?"

"Worse. He shouts abuse at me and then lashes out every time I move." Alec rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging on his lips.

"Sounds like a charming person."

Grinning at the sarcasm, Alec ran his fingers through his wet hair, pushing it out of his face, "How are you doing?"

"Eh, fine. I've spent the long weekend with Camille. Her family is gone somewhere; god knows when they're coming back."

"Oh, is this a bad time?" Alec wondered if Camille was listening in. He wouldn't put it past her.

"No, this is perfect actually. She's stepped out for a bit. I…I wanted to talk about homecoming."

"Oh." He felt a blush rise in his face, "Ok." Taking a short breath, he calmed his nerves and tried to remember how to speak. Since when did Magnus have this sort of effect on him? Wasn't it only a few days ago they were just friends? New friends, at that? But now…

"So, well I was wondering…were we stood."

Magnus's voice had lowered, and Alec realized he was probably nervous as well. Somehow, this humanized him, and Alec felt his pulse rate reduce slightly. "I'm not sure…you, I mean you remember what I told you…right?"

"All of it. But which bit in particular?"

Alec blushed and muttered, "The bit about me being…um…in the closet."

"I won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

A slight panic rose up in Alec, and he quickly spoke, "But I want to. I mean, I want to…you know…I…ugh why is it so hard to talk to you?!"

"Is it?"

He sighed, a small smile playing on his lips at the amused tone in Magnus's voice, "I don't want to mess this up with you." He took a breath, trying to calm his racing heart, "I do want to come out…but not yet. I want to be a hundred percent confident about this…"

"What percent are you at now?"

"Before you, about two percent."

"And after me?"

"…a lot higher." Alec mumbled, "I like you, Magnus. A lot."

"I like you too, Alec. So I was hoping you'd say the same."

Alec blushed and smiled at the sky in front of him, feeling lighter than air. He wasn't sure what to say, but fortunately it seemed Magnus had rehearsed this part of the conversation.

"So will you be my boyfriend? I know you can't tell your family, and I won't be able to be with you  
during school, but I think you're worth it."

Alec had a quick flash back of them after homecoming. Alec was waiting for his ride, so he and Magnus were sitting on the curb, holding hands in the dark and talking quietly, telling each other bits and pieces about their lives. He'd never felt so elated to be with one person, it made the night disappear around him, enclosing them in their own little bubble of trapped time. "Yes, yes Magnus."

"Really?"

Alec chuckled, a little taken back by the surprise in his voice. Had Magnus really thought he'd say no? "Yes really. But no more sending me pictures of you in a feather boa."

"You liked my feather boa and you know it."

Grinning, Alec raised an eyebrow, "You can't prove that."

"I'd love to, but don't you have family time to be wasting?"

"Shit, yeah. I'll talk to you later?" Alec felt his voice rise a bit in hope and felt his smile broaden when Magnus agreed. They said their good byes and Alec hung up, grinning like an idiot. He quickly composed himself and then stood, walking around the corner of the house and running smack into his sister. He felt all those good feelings disappear in a snap, replaced by a dull sense of horror, like when one missed a step going down.

She looked at him, her brown eyes steady, and asked, "Who is Magnus?"

Magnus hung up the phone and fell backwards, landing on the bed and letting the air whoosh out of his lungs. He'd said yes. Alec had said yes. He had a boyfriend! Magnus squealed and rolled over on his stomach, an insanely happy smile on his face. A boyfriend…it was weird thinking about it. He'd had crushes over the years, and one person he'd dated, but nothing this serious. Damn, he hadn't even dated Alec before asking him to be his. Did the blue eyed teen have that sort of effect on him already? How long had they even known each other? A month? Damn.

At this precise moment, Camille walked in, her lips pursed with dislike, "My father just called, they're coming home in a couple hours."

Magnus looked up, feeling his smile ebb, "You want me to leave?"

"No, stay until we planned." She sat down next to him, her eyes unreadable.

Magnus coughed suddenly, his nose assaulted by a foul odor, "Camille, have you been smoking?"

"Just one." She pulled off her gloves, tossing them in the corner of her room. It wasn't that cold out, but she was wearing gloves and a pea coat. They reeked of smoke as she pulled them off, leaving her in a pair of designer jeans and a loose shirt.

"…want to stay in a hotel again? I doubt my mother would notice I'm gone." Magnus sat up, sticking his phone in his pants.

"No, I'll be fine. It was just one smoke, Magnus." She rolled her eyes and leaned back, licking her lips. She was very thin, and usually didn't eat much around anyone. She ate around Magnus, but that was pretty rare considering Magnus didn't eat as much either, but for a completely different reason. She hated her parents. They were wealthy business owners, who always thought they could substitute love with materials. She'd lost count of how many affairs her parents had had. They rarely paid any attention to her, and because of that she got away with buying cigarettes.

"Want some good news?" Magnus asked, and Camille looked up from her place on the bed. He could tell by her expression that she'd now noticed his body language.

"I'd love some."

"I'm no longer single." Magnus sang, and then giggled as Camille sat up, her pale blond curls sticking up everywhere.

"You called him?"

"He called me, but I asked him." Magnus purred, his eyes glazing over, "He sounded so nervous. It was adorable. I told him I was ok with a secret relationship."

"Are you?" She asked, her eyes questioning.

"I am." He said firmly, "At least for now."

She smiled, her eyes narrowing happily, "Look at you, growing up. Where's that awkward boy in the glitter overalls?"

"I thought you swore never to mention those." Magnus grumbled and then chuckled. "I could ask you the same, Miss. Butch."

"I was six!" She snapped, unable to help a smile creeping onto her face. She watched Magnus laugh, noticing the glow that surrounded his body, and the way his eyes lit up as he spoke about Alec. Her friend had it bad, and she only hoped the Lightwood boy wouldn't break him into a million pieces. Magnus was fragile, almost like glass. He shown with confidence and pride, but underneath the show he could be hurt easily. Camille had seen it happen numerous times with everything he'd been through with his mother, and she was fiercely protective of anyone who might hurt him. She caught Magnus's eye and smiled at him, but inside she was mournful.

"Who is Magnus?"

The question reverberated through Alec's mind, and all he could do was stare. How much had she heard? What had he said? Had he given himself away? Suddenly his mind was blank. He couldn't remember.

"Alec, who is Magnus? Is he the one who was hurt behind the school?" Isabelle asked, her tone blank. She wasn't giving away anything, which just made Alec more nervous.

He stared at her; when had she met Magnus? Had she seen them at the dance? Was she in the locker room? Where was she? It was like being confronted by something you'd been warned about, and forgetting how to escape the situation.

"Alexander!"

"He's just a friend, Isabelle. The one you met behind the school." Alec rambled off, his mind speaking for him, "I was checking on him."

"…you're a shit liar, Alec." Now an emotion was clear on Isabelle's face, but it wasn't one that Alec had expected. She looked hurt.

"Isabelle…" Alec glanced around her, towards his family towards the lake. He looked back at his sister, and then blanched. She was walking away, her back rigid, obviously upset. He lunged after her and grabbed her arm, dragging her back around the side of the house, hiding from his family, "Isabelle wait."

"Why? Alec, I thought you trusted me. At least trusted me enough to tell me you're seeing someone." She glared at him, and Alec was horrified to see her eyes pooling up. Isabelle, who never cried, was now shedding tears. Because of him.

"Izzy, Izzy I'm sorry." And suddenly everything spilled out of him. He told her about homecoming, about Mia, and then running away. He told her about Magnus chasing after him, and then confessing that he liked him. Alec, still in big brother mode, left out the kissing part. He jumped ahead to their talking during the night, the texting through the weekend, and finally their phone conversation. It felt strange, like he was watching someone else spill his guts. But as he spoke, he felt like he was shifting his burden just a bit.

"Oh Alec…" Isabelle sighed, after he was done, "How long have you known?"

"Since I was in middle school. I never liked girls…" Alec muttered, feeling subconscious. "Izzy…I…" He must've looked as pathetic and lost as he felt, because she hugged him suddenly. He stiffened, surprised, and then hugged her back.

"Alec, it's ok." She drew back and smiled at him, "I'll help you. I…I can understand why you haven't said anything. Are you going to tell mom?"

"No!" Alec lowered his voice, "No, no Izzy please no!"

"Ok, ok Alec, calm down." She soothed, twisting her hair over her shoulder, "We'll keep it a secret. I'm glad I've met him at least."

Relief flew over Alec like a tidal wave. He'd never assumed his sister would become an ally, but now that she knew, he felt like a weight had been lifted, "Thank you, Iz."

She smiled and playfully punched him, curling her fingers into a perfect fist, like he'd taught her, "I've got your back. With family vacations and secret boyfriends."

He chuckled and they walked back to their family, ready to face whatever would happen in the future.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Magnus had left Camille's house a couple hours after her parents arrived home. He was only half an hour from her place, so he took his time walking back. He kept his hand near his cell phone, smiling faintly as he walked. It still felt like a dream. Alec…

A screech of tires caught his attention and he leapt backwards onto the sidewalk, eyes wide, as a car flew past him. Maybe he'd save day dreaming for later. Looking for cars now, he darted across the street and arrived at his apartment complex. It was a dingy place, teetering and slumping in on itself like an old man. It was mostly gray, with large cracks up the sides. Laundry hung from the balconies like defeated flags, and the windows and front door was secured with thick bars. Swallowing back his revulsion, he used his key to open the main door and then hurried up the stairs to his apartment. He never took the elevator; it was an unspoken taboo in the apartment to never use it, most likely because the passenger would fall to their death before reaching the second floor.

He arrived at his door and opened it, glancing around the apartment. It was dark, no lights were on, but that didn't mean anything. Quietly, Magnus walked up the stairs to the bedrooms, and then his foot hit something. It was small, and crunched under his foot with the delicate sound of breaking glass. Shit. He slowly lifted his foot and crouched down to find whatever he'd stepped on.

It was a used syringe, now broken into small pieces, but the needle was still intact. Whatever had been in it was long gone, but Magnus still checked for any sign of the contents. Finding none, he carefully scooped the glass shards and tiny needle into his palm. He walked upstairs and deposited it into his bathroom, glancing at himself in the shattered mirror. He almost screamed when he caught sight of the face behind him, and he whirled around, his heart hammering in his ears, "MOM! Shit…you scared me."

She stared at him, her eyes unseeing. Her hair hung in lanky, greasy strands around her haggard face, and her gray nightgown was filthy, covered in stains and god knows what else. The skin around her mouth was chapped and pinched, like she'd swallowed a lemon. Her eyes were filmed with white, "…where were you?"

"With Camille." Magnus whispered, his voice cracking. He felt like he should go to her, help her to bed, but the thought of touching her filled him with revulsion.

"You're lying. Why are you lying to your wife?" Her voice was harsh, like sandpaper. "You bad man. You'll make Maggie cry again. I won't forgive you." She moved towards him.

"Mom, no, it's me! It's Maggie." Magnus shrunk away from her, pressing himself against the filthy wall. He watched her come closer to him, her irises bright with the amount of the drug she'd taken.

"Stay away from my child!" She screamed, her face twisting. She reached out, her hands like claws, and wrapped one of them around her son's throat, shoving him against the wall with borrowed strength. Her fingers tightened.

"M-mom…!" Magnus whimpered, seizing her bony wrist and pulling on it, "Mom it's me! It's Magnus! Pl-please!"

"Liar. Cheater! Filth!" She hissed, reeling her hand back and slapping him brutally across his face. The sound of flesh on flesh echoed across the room as she struck him, and she released his throat as he cried out and crumpled to the floor. Her glazed looked returned and she looked around, confused. "Maggie? Maggie honey? Where are you? It's alright, mommy's here." She looked down and spotted her child, huddled in the corner, silent, "Maggie, baby, it's ok. He's gone. It's just you and mama." She knelt down and stroked his head.

Magnus flinched away from her, pressing against the wall. He watched as she smiled vapidly and then stood, walking uncertainly back into her room, closing the door behind her. Only once she'd left did the shock wear off. The pain on his face and neck flared, and he buried his head in his arms and sobbed quietly, not wanting any noise to alert his mother and have her come back out.

It had been one of the bad nights.

Alec straightened up and stretched, wincing as his back cracked under his jersey. His coach was lecturing whoever was replacing Josh as Quarterback, so Alec took a second to relax. A sight caught his eye and he smiled.

Magnus was sitting on the bleachers, surprisingly alone, and was watching the practice.

He'd been there every day, but now it actually meant something. Alec smiled and turned back in time to hear his coach dismiss them early.

His teammates cheered and practically ran over each other in their haste to get to the locker room, but Alec, after a quick decision, jogged across the field to meet his boyfriend.

Magnus looked up as Alec approached, his heart skipping a beat as he looked at him. He was sweaty after practice, his hair plastered against his forehead, and it made him look so cute. His blue eyes were bright and shining as he locked eyes with Magnus, and then his smile disappeared and his eyes widened in shock. Was something wrong? Magnus glanced behind him, but he was still alone. He turned back and yelped as Alec skidded to a halt in front of him, ripping up the dirt, "Alec?"

"Magnus! What happened!?"

"…what?" Magnus blinked, looking confused.

Alec's blue eyes traced over Magnus's face and throat. Purple bruising was forming in ring formation around his neck, and there was a mark on one of his cheeks. "Did those assholes corner you again? Are you alright?" His worry only doubled when he saw Magnus's eyes darken, "Magnus?"

"I'm fine, Alec. Just got in an accident over the weekend." Magnus smiled half heartedly, and then rolled his eyes when Alec stared at him with those big blue eyes. Damn this boy for making him feel guilty.

"An accident." Alec repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"I fell down the stairs." Magnus lied, and then felt even worse. Dammit. "I'm ok, Alec." He smiled and went to touch his flushed face, and then remembered their restrictions. He let his hand drop, missing the hurt look that flashed across Alec's face.

There little bubble was interrupted however when Coach Garroway shouted; "Lightwood! Stop flirting and hit the showers!"

Alec blushed a flaming red, stood up and backed away, "See you in chem.?"

"See you there." Magnus smiled, and then watched Alec sprint across the field and into the locker room. He sighed and stood, wondering vaguely were Camille was, and then walked towards the brick building.

Alec didn't believe for one second that Magnus had fallen down the stairs. For one thing, you wouldn't get that sort of bruising around your neck from stairs. It looked like someone had wrapped their fingers around his throat. The second thing was that Magnus was the most coordinated person Alec knew; no way in hell would someone who walked around in 8'inch platform heels daily would trip and fall down the stairs. It wasn't possible. But why would Magnus lie? Alec sighed and glanced over at his lab partner, who was glaring studiously at the board as he tried to take notes. He bit his lip to stop from smiling as Magnus made a face at whatever Mrs. Fray was saying.

"Mr. Lightwood?"

Alec looked over, "Yes?"

Mrs. Fray pointed at a formula on the board, "Care to solve this for the class?"

He sighed and stood up, making his way to the front of the class. After a quick glance at the formula, he began solving, not really paying attention as he scratched numbers and letters on the board. Finishing, he set the chalk down, dusted his hands, and walked back to his seat.

"Very good, Mr. Lightwood." Mrs. Fray turned back to the board, satisfied.

Magnus shot Alec an envious look as he sat down, "When did we learn that?"

"Yesterday." Alec whispered, looking amused, "Quiz on it tomorrow."

"Damn." Magnus squinted at the board and pulled a face of disgust, "They might as well be teaching Latin. At least I'm good at languages!"

"I suck at language." Alec muttered, rolling his eyes as he took notes, "I'm taking Spanish, and as far as I can tell, you just add 'o' to the end of every word."

Magnus snickered silently and glanced at Alec, "No te gusta español?"

Alec stared, "Was that Latin?"

Magnus bit back his amusement and turned to look at the board only to frown, "…what the hell is that."

"Ok I have an idea." Alec murmured, "Come back over to my place after school and I can teach you the stuff on tomorrows test, and you can teach me how to say 'hello' in Spanish."

"Deal." Magnus breathed, still looking confused as he stared at the board.

Alec turned back to the lesson, trying to pay attention. But the fact that Magnus, his boyfriend, was coming over tonight made him shiver in excitement. Sure he was nervous as hell, god forbid his family noticed Magnus's flamboyant attitude, but the thought of having alone time with Magnus, even to study, made it worth it.

Magnus arrived at the cafeteria and walked over to his table, beaming when he noticed a familiar blond headed person already there, her nose in a magazine. He sat down across from her and poked the magazine, "Where were you this morning?"

Camille smiled and folded up her magazine, "With Jason—Magnus!" Her eyes fell on his neck and cheek, her eyes hardening, "Oh honey…"

"It's ok now." He reassured her, brushing it off, "You sound like Alec. He was practically frantic, didn't even notice that we were in public."

At the mention of Alec, Camille's eyes narrowed, "What did you tell him?"

"Fell down some stairs."

She snorted, "Did he buy it?"

Magnus frowned, reaching up and gently touching the cut on his cheek, "I don't think so." He sighed, "It was another of her bad nights, but it didn't last too long. She…she thought I was Dad."

Camille didn't say anything, just watched her friend carefully. She then reached into her backpack and fished around, pulling on a shiny red apple. Almost like a peace offering, she handed it to Magnus, a small smile on her face.

Magnus smiled and accepted it, his stomach snarling excitedly. He peeled the sticker off, examined the bright red skin, and then bit into it with a satisfying crunch sound. He hummed at the fresh flavor and swallowed his bite, licking his lips to get all the sticky juice, "Thanks."

"No problem." She let her eyes wander and then paused, locking her gaze with a startled pair of blue eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, and then she watched as Alec got up, murmured something to the brown headed kid he was sitting with, grab his backpack, and walk over. Well this was interesting. She looked back at Magnus, who was thoroughly enjoying his apple, and kicked him under the table.

"Ow! What was that for?" He looked hurt.

"Lover boy, three o'clock."

He immediately sat up straighter, his eyes bright and excited, but to her surprise he didn't turn around. Wow, she thought, the amount of self control he must be exercising was immense.

Alec paused by the table, looking nervous, "Hey."

"Alec!" Magnus smiled and scooted over, his smile widening when Alec sat with him "I didn't know you were ok with sitting together."

He blushed, which made Camille raise an eyebrow. Since when did Magnus go for the cutesy shy type?

Magnus turned to look at Camille, his eyes sparkling, "I don't think you two have properly met. Alec, this is Camille Belcourt. She's like my sister."

Alec examined her in a way that made her want to stiffen, "So you're the one who beat up all those boys." He sounded thoughtful, and a little amused.

She grinned sharply, glad that he knew what he was dealing with, "Yes, I did."

Magnus rolled his eyes, "Camille, this is Alec Lightwood." He looked like he was going to say something else, but he glanced at his boyfriend, "She already knows."

"Oh!" Alec looked relieved and surprised all at once, "Well that helps. Also, my sister overheard our conversation the other day."

"She did?" Magnus cocked his head to the side, "And?"

Camille watched as Alec smiled and told Magnus that she'd been fine about it, and if something happened tonight they had her as an ally. "Tonight?" She asked, her voice cool.

Magnus looked up from Alec, "Oh right, I'm going over to his place tonight for chemistry help."

"Studying. Right." She snorted, and was rewarded by Alec's flaming blush.

"Yes, studying." Magnus raised an eyebrow, amusement plain in his eyes. He then turned to Alec and asked him something.

She sat back and watched, tuning them out. Her eyes flickered from Magnus's animated glow to Alec's shy smiles and secret looks whenever he thought Magnus wasn't looking. It was almost sickening, and she was glad of the interruption when Magnus went back to his apple, polishing it off.

"So, Alec, who's your sister?" She asked, keeping her tone bored and disinterested.

"Isabelle." Alec answered in a careful tone.

"Ah, that one. Yes I know her." Camille mused, and then said nothing else, pulling out her magazine and disappearing into it for the rest of lunch.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"Mom, I'm home." Alec called, opening the door and peering inside. Seeing nobody, he sighed and walked in, smiling as Magnus shut the door behind them.

"Is she ever home?" Magnus asked, toeing off his shoes. He followed Alec up the stairs, eyeing the pictures that lined that way.

"No, but I still check." Alec said, lost in his thoughts.

Magnus glanced over and stopped, a picture capturing his attention.

Alec glanced behind him and then walked back down a few steps, also looking at the picture.

It was when the Lightwood family had gone to the beach. Alec had been about eight or nine, and they'd spent all day playing. They'd been walking back, dead tired, when Alec's dad had turned around and shot this picture of Alec. In it, Alec was glaring at the camera with all the irritation an eight year old could muster. His eyebrows were scrunched, his eyes narrowed, and his lips pulled down in the corners. He was wearing a large t-shirt and from one hand dangled a red pail.

"You're so cute." Magnus breathed, fascinated by little Alec.

"Pah, you should've seen Jace. He looked like a little angle, until you got to know him." Alec added, looking amused. "Come on, we have studying to do."

Magnus watched Alec walk up the stairs, following a few steps behind. They were almost at his room when a door opened, and a familiar looking girl walked out. Magnus recognized her from that night behind the school, and grinned at the memory, "I remember you."

Isabelle fixed her look on Magnus, and then grinned as well, "You looked hot covered in blood. Very macho."

Alec's eyes flew open, shocked, but before he could say anything, Magnus beat him to it.

"And so did you, playing nurse until I was healed. I'm surprised you didn't hold my hand." Magnus bantered, his smile growing.

Isabelle's grin widened with Magnus's, "That's my brother's job."

"Ok enough!" Alec interrupted, earning amused looks from the pair of them. "Magnus, this is my sister Isabelle. Isabelle, this is Magnus. Now go away."

She chuckled and winked at Magnus, "Nice seeing you again." before vanishing back into her room.

Alec hurried to his room and opened the door, ushering Magnus in before anymore of his siblings decided to make an entrance. Shutting the door, he sighed and pulled out his chemistry note book, following Magnus to the bed. After a brief thought if maybe they should sit at his desk, he shook it off and sat on the bed next to his boyfriend. This was studying. Nothing more.

Pulling out his own notebook, along with another, Magnus sat beside Alec and got ready to try and pay attention to atoms and bonds, not blue eyes and black hair.

"No, not quite." Magnus said patiently, "When you're talking to an elder, you have to use the formal you; Usted."

"But what if there's more than one?" Alec glared at the paper, trying to make sense out of it.

"Add an 'es' to it, like in English."

"…Ustedes?" Alec tried, glancing up at Magnus for confirmation.

Magnus, who was leaning over Alec's shoulder, grinned, "You got it. Now try once more."

" Perdón, Ustedes, pero donde está la café?" Alec said slowly, muddling his accent a bit, but doing much better than before.

"Perfect! I'll make a Spanish speaker of you yet!" Magnus congratulated him, smiling at Alec's joyful expression. "Just practice and you'll do fine."

"So, what is one of the stages in the water cycle?" Alec asked innocently, watching Magnus out of the corner of his eye.

"Condensation." Magnus replied smugly, "Nice try."

"Thought I had you that time." Alec sighed, not looking at all upset. He closed his notebook and tossed it off the bed, smirking when it made a satisfactory sound as it hit the wall. They'd been studying for almost four hours by this point, and now he took a second to stretch, yawning as he his muscles loosened. A soft pair of arms encircled his waist and an equally soft voice whispered in his ear.

"That's not fair, teasing isn't nice." Magnus scolded him, loving the feeling of Alec in his arms. He blinked in surprise when Alec twisted around, moving as close to him as he could without sitting in his lap, and smiled shyly.

"No one's here now." He murmured, watching with amusement as Magnus's exotic eyes widened almost comically. Leaning in, a little nervous, he pressed his lips against Magnus's gently. It filled him with an indescribable feeling, like someone had inflated a balloon in his chest, and he made a small noise in the back of his throat as Magnus drew him in even closer, kissing him back.

Reaching up, Magnus tangled his fingers in Alec's short, surprisingly silky black hair, maneuvering him effortlessly onto his lap. He kissed him back, moving his lips in sync with his boyfriends. Studying chemistry for almost four hours was defiantly worth a kiss from Alexander Lightwood.

Alec, smiling around their kiss, rested his hands on Magnus's shoulders and gently pushed him back on the bed, leaning down over him and capturing his lips in another kiss. He gasped when Magnus wrapped his arms around him and flipped them over, now pressing him against the covers. The feeling of Magnus's thin, long body on top of his own made Alec moan quietly into their kiss, reaching up and tugging on the back of Magnus's shirt.

"Mnnh…" Magnus pulled away from his kiss, his lips red and his eyes dark. He sighed happily, letting his eyes flutter closed as he felt Alec run his hands up his back, bringing him back down for another kiss. Now practically lying on top of Alec, Magnus hummed in the back of his throat as Alec held him firmly, making him feel safe and secure.

A warm, soft feeling enveloped the two of them as they kissed slowly, moving their hands up and down each other's back's and chests with a thinly veiled curiosity. Alec gasped lightly as one of Magnus's fingers brushed a nipple, sending tingling currents through his body. They felt like they were bordering on something, something they both ached for, but had enough sense left not to cross that line yet.

Magnus pulled away first, his heartbeat sounding strangely loud in his own ears. He looked down at Alec, whose blue eyes slid open, and felt a sharp pang of longing go through him.

Looking up, his usual serious expression on his face, Alec propped himself on his elbows, his face inches from Magnus's, and gently kissed the cut on his cheek where his mother had struck him.

It was such a tender, soft kiss that it made Magnus want to cry. Instead he hugged Alec, sitting up and holding him tightly.

As if sensing something, Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus and held him, something inside of him aching to be able to comfort Magnus, to take away whatever pain he was shouldering alone. But all he could do was hold him, and all too soon even that was over.

Magnus sat up, and whispered something in Alec's ear, "Me encanta tus ojos."

"What?" Alec smiled, cocking his head to the side.

But Magnus only grinned, looking back to normal, "Study and you'll figure it out." He chuckled at Alec's annoyed look and glanced down at his watch, sighing, "I better get home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll walk you out." Alec immediately offered, and the two of them got up.

Magnus gathered up his stuff and crammed it unceremoniously into his backpack, grinning at Alec's look, "It works for me."

They walked out of his room and down the stairs, the house strangely silent. Alec walked him to the old, purple car sitting in his driveway and smiled as he watched Magnus toss his bag in and fish out his keys from his too tight jeans, "Drive safe."

"Always do, it's Camille you should worry about." Magnus rolled his eyes, still smiling. He leaned against the open door, watching Alec almost like a cat. He looked like he wanted to say something, but after a second or two he got in his car and shut the door. He started the engine and pulled out of the driveway, waved once, and then drove off.

Alec watched until the car was out of sight, and then turned around and walked back into his house.

Alec stared at his test, random words flying around his head that all ended in 'o'. The formal conjugation…what had Magnus said about that? He thought back to their study session, and immediately the memory of Magnus pressing him against the mattress, his lips hungry against his own, filled Alec's mind. He blushed furiously and tried to focus, his own lips tingling at the memory. Formal conjugation! It wasn't that hard…something about an 's'…Alec snorted and went back to his test, filling out the blanks as best he could.

After twenty minutes he stood up and walked to the front of the classroom and handed in his paper, muttering a thank you to his teacher before standing awkwardly to the side as she graded. He tried not to watch as her red pen danced over his paper, and every time he heard it scratch a mark he winced.

"Mr. Lightwood." She held it out to him, her face unreadable.

Alec accepted his paper and hurried back to his seat, sitting down and staring at the back of his paper. He could always wait…maybe look at it during lunch…maybe have Magnus look at it first before he did. But no! What if he'd done a bad job? He didn't want to disappoint Magnus. With a suppressed sigh he flipped his paper over, looking at the red pen marks.

"Where's lover boy?" Camille asked, leaning her chin on his hand.

"Detention." Magnus chuckled, looking highly amused, "Apparently his coach decided they all needed lunch detention to teach them how to properly block or something like that." He grinned, "I'm surprised at you thought; you haven't once asked about our little date last night."

She arched an eyebrow, "Oh is that what it was? Did you recite romantic poetry over chemistry notes?"

"What's with you?" Magnus cocked his head, not really offended, "You've been in a bad mood all day, like, worse than usual."

"Nothing, just cranky." She muttered, rubbing her hands together. That wasn't very true, and she could tell by Magnus's look that he didn't buy it for a second. With a sigh, she relented, "My parents found my stash and got rid of all of it. I haven't had a smoke in a week now, it's driving me crazy."

"Since when do they care about your wellbeing?" Magnus snorted, silently approving of Camille's parents actions. His friend shouldn't throw her life away in cancer sticks, but he knew better than to tell her that. It would only aggravate her and she'd stop talking about her problems.

"They don't." Camille's red lips curled in a nasty sneer, "They care about our reputation and how we look. A daughter of the Belcourt family smoking? Grotesque."

"Assholes." Magnus said simply, and then glanced at her, "You're not going to go get more, are you?"

"I am. Will you come with me?" She stood, swinging her purse over her shoulder. She never carried a backpack, calling them tacky. Magnus resented that comment, and proudly flaunted his bright green backpack.

"Now?"

"Yes, now." She caught Magnus's eye and sighed, "We always used to do this, what's the difference now? Come on, I'll buy you some more hair gel."

"Do you think you can bribe me, woman?" Magnus gasped, already zipping up his backpack.

A devilish smirk unfurled over her lips, "That's exactly what I think."

"Damn you, hair products." Magnus replied cheerfully, getting up and grabbing his bag, following her out of the cafeteria towards where he parked his car. On their way there he glanced over and then grabbed Camille's arm, grinning, "Look, there he is!"

Camille looked over, impatient to get to her cigarettes, "Yes yes, there he is, all hot and sweaty, tumbling around with other boys in skin tight pants. Shall we?"

"Hmmm." Magnus purred, staring at the number seven jersey, "Hot and sweaty."

"Alright stop drooling." She tugged on his arm, rolling his eyes.

"Lightwood!"

Alec looked up in surprise in time to see Sebastian's devious grin right before he plowed into him, knocking them both to the ground in a tangle of limbs. He grunted and shoved him off, grinning as Sebastian ruffled his hair playfully.

"Nice block Alec." He grinned, his black hair falling in his face.

"Nice tackle." Alec responded, getting to his feet and helping Sebastian up. He let him go and turned to go back towards his teammates before something made him pause. Narrowing his eyes, he spotted the unmistakable colorful clothing of his boyfriend. But what made him pause was the fact that he and Camille (obviously her, even from this distance) were heading towards the parking lot. As he watched, they got in his car and drove off. What were they doing? Ditching school? That didn't seem at all like Magnus…

"Lightwood! Stop daydreaming and get over here!"

"Sorry coach." Alec jogged over, but he couldn't focus on the game. What was Magnus doing?

"Camille, I want to get back before Chemistry class." Magnus sighed, pocketing his hair gel. "You have your cigarettes, let's go."

"Yeah I'm coming." She lit one and took a deep breath, breathing out the smoke with a happy sigh, "Sweet justice."

Magnus coughed, wrinkling his nose and stepping away from the smoke, "Maybe to you, but to me it's like breathing in Brooklyn."

"Alright, you head back." She waved her hand, pocketing the packet and leaning against the drug store they'd bought them from.

"Camille," Magnus moved towards her, "aren't you coming?"

"No."

Magnus closed the car door and walked over to his friend, frowning, "Camille, please come back to school."

"Don't worry about me, I don't have anything important today." She took another draw of her cigarette.

"…Camille." He stood in front of her, hands on his hips, "What happened with your family? They didn't just take your cigarettes, did they?"

She glared at him, "Drop it Magnus."

"No I won't." He snapped, startling her, "You're my best friend, tell me what's wrong with you."

"Nothing." Her voice was gentler this time, and she took another pull from the cigarette before dropping it and crushing it under her boot, "Come on, let's go back to school."

Alec looked up from the lab table when Magnus walked in, feeling a small swoop of relief. But when Magnus sat down next to him, Alec wrinkled his nose, "Ugh, Magnus, have you been smoking?"

"No." He raised his forearm and sniffed his sleeve, then coughed, "Disgusting." He took off his sweatshirt and tossed it next to him, looking annoyed.

Unsure how to bring it up, Alec didn't mention seeing him and Camille sneak off. Instead he looked over the class, and then frowned when something caught his eye.

Sebastian was standing next to a pretty blond girl, smiling gently at her without any of his usual mischievous smirking. He actually seemed to be nervous, shuffling his feet and glancing around. As Alec watched, Sebastian held out a football jersey with a large number 12 on the back. It was his extra jersey, Alec realized, and frowned as the blond girl put it on and then hugged his teammate.

Magnus, who thought Alec being silent indicated that he thought he'd been smoking, turned around to further support his statement, and the froze when he caught Alec's eye. "Alec? What's with the look?"

"Huh?" Alec, to Magnus's surprise, blushed. "Nothing. Oh! I wanted to show you something." He rummaged around in his backpack and handed a paper to Magnus, grinning nervously.

Taking the paper, he turned it over and scanned it the test, a slow smile spreading across his face, "An A? Fantastic job Alec!" He handed it back, beaming at his boyfriend proudly, "That was amazing!"

He shoved it into his backpack, grinning madly, "Thank you so much Magnus." He glanced at Mrs. Fray and then lowered his voice, "Um, there's a football game this weekend on Saturday night, it's around 6:00 and lasts until about 9:00, would you…I mean only if you want to…would you want to come?"

"I—"

"Lightwood! Bane!" Mrs. Fray snapped, sounding irritated, "If you two cannot stop talking I'll separate you like five year olds! Now be quiet, I'm handing out the test."

Alec ducked his head and turned away, looking embarrassed. The test was passed around and he happily dived into it, grateful for the distraction. Chemistry; solid equations that all had a clean solution. Unlike life and dating, which all seemed dead set on twisting and knotting Alec's love life into a complicated ball. Why couldn't it be simple? Why couldn't he just ask Magnus if he wanted to go to the game to watch him? It wasn't hard. But no, he's blushed and stuttered. Great.

Magnus finished his test last, as usual, but felt a little better than normal when he handed it in. As he walked to sit back down, he couldn't help grinning as Alec studiously ignored him. It was so sweet of him to invite him to the game, even cuter that he assumed Magnus might not want to go. Little did Alec know, he'd already bought a ticket a couple days ago. He'd asked Camille to join him but she'd turned up her nose at it, telling him if she wanted to watch men in tight pants tackle each other, she'd watch soccer. He didn't get to tell Alec when the bell rang, his boyfriend studiously staring at the floor as he quickly packed up and hurried out of the classroom.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Alec stared at himself in the mirror, holding his helmet in one hand. His expression was its usual serious, steady stare, and he sighed, straightening up.

"Doing alright there, Lightwood? Not getting nervous are we?" Sebastian was suddenly there, clapping an arm around Alec's shoulders.

"No, just thinking." Alec turned around, joining his teammates.

"Alright team, listen up. These little girls won't know what hit them." Coach Garroway grinned at them, his eyes bright. "We'll pummel them!"

They cheered, clapping each other on their backs and shoulders, grinning at the thought of an easy win. The horn sounded and they all lined up, tugging their helmets on and getting ready. Alec was third from the front, and he could feel a small smile curling on his lips as his adrenaline started to surge. The roar of the crowd got under his skin, and he rolled his weight onto the balls of his feet, eager to get out there.

The crowd cheered again, the signal, and they all ran out. The cheering re-doubled as the school caught sight of their team in black and gold running out to the field. As they lined up across from the other team, dressed in green, Alec glanced at the stands, keeping an eye out from a splash of color among the students.

Seeing nothing, he turned his attention back to the guy across from him, sizing him up. He grinned nastily at Alec, but it evoked no reaction from the eldest Lightwood child. The whistle blew and the two lines collided in a clash of plastic. The teen in front of Alec charged head on, and, with a smirk, Alec dropped his shoulder and caught him right under his guard, flipping him off to the side. He straightened up in time to see Herondale catch the ball and sprint to the twenty yard mark before he was taken down. Grinning savagely, Alec jogged over to Will, helping him up to his feet.

"See that!?" Will crowed, his grin matching Alec's, "We've got 'em!"

Alec smacked him on the shoulder and they hurriedly got into line. He dug his heel into the grass, his heart beat hammering in his ears as his steady blue eyes met his opponent's. The whistle blew and Alec lunged at him, catching him around the shoulders. After a brief struggle he shoved him away to the ground, and then looked over as the crowd screamed their approval. Someone, probably Will, had scored. He ran over to where the team was reassembling when a flash of gold caught his eye.

Sitting in the middle of the bleachers, in a gold tank top and what looked like skinny black jeans, was Magnus. He perked up when Alec looked at him and waved, his smile clear even from Alec's vantage point.

"Lightwood!"

Alec quickly joined the group, hoping they'd mistake his flushed face for adrenaline from the game.

"Alright nice job, keep this up boys!" Coach growled, grinning at them excitedly.

The rest of the game continued with both teams playing equally well, and the score was tied, 47 to 47, and both teams were on edge to finish this in the last five minutes. One 50 yard sprint and a hand off and that team had it in the bag. It was during those last five minutes both Coaches called their teams over to change things up.

"Alright, Herondale, nice foot work. But next time don't run straight, curve away from the bastards chasing you. Lightwood, nice tackling. Velarc, watch the ball!" Coach ordered out, "Now, I want Lightwood protecting Herondale's blind side. He hands the ball to you, Lightwood, and you run it down. Got it?"

"Yes coach!" They chanted.

"Good! Now go!"

They dispersed, running towards where the other team was lining up. Alec took a place near the center of the line, his heart fluttering in his chest. Cover Herondale, grab the ball, and run like hell. Let's do this. The whistle pierced the air and the teams collided together. In the middle of the confusion Will grabbed the ball from Sebastian and sprinted down the field, followed closely by Alec and a few other players from the other team.

His legs straining with a pleasant burn, Alec ran up alongside Will and grabbed the ball, tucking it under his arm as he pulled away. Now it was only him. Narrowing his eyes he poured his strength into his legs, taking longer, faster strides towards the end zone. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian running alongside him, probably a dozen yards away. The end zone was approaching and he could hear the crowd screaming at him to run faster. He could also feel the ground pounding underneath his feet, and the familiar feeling of someone approaching behind him. Making a split second decision, he put on a burst of speed and turned towards Sebastian. Thankfully, his teammate had realized the same thing, and held out his hands. Gritting his teeth, his muscles screaming, Alec twisted around and threw the ball to Sebastian just as someone plowed into him, knocking him to the ground.

The ball arched through the air and into Sebastian's hands. He tucked it under his arms and sprinted the last ten yards, diving into the end zone and slamming the ball into the grass.

The fans leapt to their feet as they scored that touchdown, finalizing the game. Their screams were thunderous as they celebrated their victory, but Magnus had eyes for only one person; the person who was being hauled to his feet by a teammate, holding his side, but obviously grinning. He watched as Alec pulled off his helmet, wincing as he straightened up, and met Magnus's eyes, his smile widening.

"Alec! Alec you did it!" Herondale crowed, hugging his teammate, and the laughing when the rest of them piled on. They all jumped on the pair of them, laughing and shouting Alec's name. The other team slunk off the field unnoticed as the players in black and gold cheered and shouted their victory, punching the air and jumping up and down. The crowd celebrated with them, stamping their feet and chanting their school name, beside themselves with excitement.

It was a fantastic night, and Alec let himself be swept along with his teammates towards the locker room, wincing at the twinge in his side, but his smile never dimming. Their coach met them halfway, roaring his approval and slapping his boys on the back, his smile like a small sun.

Closing his locker, Alec leaned against the cool metal and sighed happily. The rest of the team had gone out to celebrate, Alec declining the invitation under the pretense that he had a curfew. He was wearing jeans and his jersey, having put away the rest of his gear. It felt nice and cool against this skin, refreshing like the shower he'd just taken. The opening of the locker room door interrupted his musings, and Alec opened his eyes and straightened up as someone wearing a gold tank top and black skinny jeans walked towards him. "You came."

"Of course." Magnus purred, his eyes gleaming. He walked over to Alec and reached out, running his hands lightly over his sides, "Not hurt too bad, are you?"

A small smile tugged on his lips, "Light bruising, nothing too bad." He ran his eyes over Magnus's face, noticing the cut on his cheek was practically healed. He was wearing black liquid eyeliner, which made his eyes pop out in their startling green gold brilliance. Those eyes were staring at him now, filled with pride and something soft that made Alec's breath catch.

Moving closer, Magnus made a soft noise, almost like purring, when Alec's hands moved to his waist, "You were fabulous out there tonight."

"Team effort." Alec replied quietly, curling his fingers in the soft material of his boyfriend's shirt.

Magnus's eyes narrowed pleasantly, "You made that last throw, not the team. All you, sweetheart."

"Sweetheart?" Alec felt his lips twitch upwards in a half smile, gently pulling Magnus into his body, "That's new."

"Maybe to your ears." Magnus purred, closing the distance between them and kissing him firmly. He felt Alec's fingers tighten in his top and hold him there, kissing him back heatedly. He backed Alec into one of the lockers, pressing him against the cold metal.

The feeling of the cold locker door pressing against his back and Magnus's hot body holding him against it made him moan into their kiss, parting his lips and kissing Magnus with more vigor. He felt his boyfriend's hands slid down to his waist, toying with the bottom of his jersey. He made a soft noise in the back of his throat and arched into Magnus's body, gasping quietly when he felt him nip on his lower lip.

Magnus moaned quietly as Alec parted his lips obediently, holding their bodies together as their tongues twined and tasted each other, adding a tint of fire to their kiss. Magnus moved one of his hands lower, caressing Alec's jean clad thigh, feeling the firm, taught muscle beneath the denim. He kissed Alec deeper, their breath intermingling as they both lost themselves in each other's taste.

His lungs starving for air, Alec broke away with a soft gasp and let his head fall back against the lockers, baring his throat to Magnus's hungry kisses. His breath hitched noticeably as he felt his boyfriend's soft, warm lips press against his throat, moving along to the side of his neck, and then down to where his skin disappeared under his black and gold jersey. "Magnus…"

A shiver ran through Magnus's body when his name left Alec's lips. He'd never heard his name said that way; it was almost like a breathy plea, mixed with lust and something else that set Magnus's nerves on fire. He straightened up, meeting Alec's half lidded blue eyes, and ran his hands over his chest, feeling his shapely body underneath the silky fabric. "Alec…" He was surprised how his voice sounded, low and velvety, caressing Alec's name before letting it drop from his tongue. He could see the affect it had on his boyfriend, and they pressed closer together, their lips connecting again.

Alec moaned and wrapped his arms tightly around Magnus, letting himself get lost again in his boyfriend's soft lips and addictive taste. He felt his fingers run over his chest and shoulders, and he shuddered longingly, aching to somehow get closer to him.

Slowly, Magnus ended the kiss, his lips lingering on Alec's before opening his eyes and drinking in the sight of his boyfriend's darkened eyes and flushed face. "Alec…" Words were poised at the tip of his tongue, but his lips wouldn't form to let them pass.

"Magnus." Alec murmured, doing things to his name that made his boyfriend shiver wantonly. "Maybe we should…get out of the locker room before…"

The rest was left unsaid, but they both got the hint. Magnus grinned crookedly, sending Alec's heart into a spastic flutter of excitement, and then drew away, sliding his hands down Alec's arms.

"Oh, wait a minute." Alec pulled away and turned to his locker door, pulling it open and rummaging around for something. He could feel Magnus's eyes on him, and it made him blush fiercely. Finding what he wanted, he straightened up and closed the door, still blushing. "I want you to have something."

"What?" Magnus cocked his head to the side, a small smile curving up his lips.

Silently Alec handed over a bundle of silky cloth and watched as Magnus unfolded it, revealing the black jersey with the gold lettering on the back, sporting a large number seven. Above it, on the shoulders, the word 'Lightwood' was written across.

"Your jersey?" Magnus stared at him, his smile growing, "Alec…"

"You're my boyfriend, you should wear my jersey." Alec mumbled, blushing even brighter.

Magnus flipped it around and pulled it over his head, tugging it down over his tight golden tank top. It was a little big for his thin frame, but it fit relatively well. He smiled at Alec, who was staring at him with wide eyes, "Alec?"

"You look…"Alec trailed off, and then moved towards him, wrapping his arms around Magnus and kissing him heatedly, surprising his boyfriend pleasantly. The feeling of his own jersey on Magnus's body made Alec feel incredibly hot under his collar. It was just a shirt, nothing more, but seeing Magnus wear it turned Alec on like one of his boyfriend's kisses.

Humming quietly, Magnus kissed him back, aware of the effect the jersey was having. It caressed his skin and smelled like Alec, intoxicating him much more than any drug. He ran his fingers through Alec's hair as then drew away; enjoying the feeling of his soft, short tresses.

"Did you drive here?" Alec asked a little breathlessly.

"No, I took the bus." Magnus wrinkled his nose, making Alec chuckle.

"Well, I borrowed my mom's car, want a ride home?" Alec watched a current of unreadable emotions swirl through his boyfriend's eyes, among those was something that surprised Alec; shame?

"It's pretty far from your place." Magnus mumbled, furiously debating with himself on whether Alec should see the sort of place he lived in. It wasn't that he thought Alec would look down on him or something like that, but more that he didn't want to see the pity in his eyes when they pulled up at his crumbling apartment. It wasn't like it was his fault he couldn't pay the bills, or that he'd chosen to live in such a horrible, run down place.

"I don't mind." Alec said quietly, slipping his hand into Magnus's, sending a current of warmth through them both.

"…alright." Magnus sighed. He'd find out sooner or later, what use was there prolonging it?

"So where am I going?" Alec put the car in drive and looked towards Magnus, who had been strangely quiet since they'd walked to the car.

"Downtown, on the other side of the abandon factory." Magnus glanced at Alec from the corner of his eye, gauging his reaction.

"Ok." Without batting an eyelash, he took a left and drove off towards Magnus's home, "So I wanted to ask you something. A couple days ago, did you and Camille sneak off somewhere during lunch?"

Magnus laughed suddenly, unable to help it, "And I thought I had a stalker problem." He grinned at Alec's snort, "Yeah we went to the CVS down by the river. She needed to pick up some stuff and I wanted new hair gel."

"Hair gel?" Alec said it the same way he spoke Spanish, with uncertainly, like he wasn't sure it was a real word.

"You don't think my hair magically spikes itself, do you?" Magnus teased, relaxing into the plush leather seats of the Lightwood family car.

"Knowing you, I wouldn't be surprised." Alec muttered, taking a right and stopping at a light.

"I wish." Magnus ran his fingers over the hem of Alec's jersey, "Product does it all, darling."

"Now I'm darling?" Alec asked lightly, looking amused.

"Did you prefer sweetheart?" Magnus asked coyly, his lips curling into a smirk.

"I think I like darling better." Alec turned onto the street with the abandon factory and slowed down, frowning, "What in the world…?"

For one horrible second, Magnus thought he was referring to his apartment. But then a flash of light caught his attention and his head snapped up. A circle of police cars surrounded his building, but what had his attention was the ambulance with its back doors open. Without waiting for Alec to stop the car, he ripped his seatbelt off, opened the door, and leapt out. Hitting the ground at a slight stumble, he sprinted towards the flashing lights and men in uniform.

Alec slammed on the breaks, put the car in park, ripped the keys out and flung the door open, hurrying after the disappearing jersey, "MAGNUS! MAGNUS WAIT!" Years of practice paid off as he sprinted up to Magnus, catching him around the middle just as a police officer held his hands up.

"Woah, boys, calm down. Do you live here?"

Alec could feel Magnus's heart hammering against his arms and it frightened him, "Yes, yes we do. What happened?"

"We got a call from the neighbors about some commotion from the upper floors. We checked up on it and found an unconscious woman in an apartment on the second floor."

"Bane." Magnus gasped, finally finding his voice, "Her name, was it Bane?"

Alec's eyes widened at the past tense usage, "Magnus—"

"Yes, are you a relation?" The officer asked, and then yelped when Magnus broke free of Alec's arms and barreled past him, knocking over another officer as a gurney came out of the building, followed by a medic carrying an IV bag and holding an oxygen mask to the patients face.

She looked so small, her birdlike bones sticking out of her taut, waxy skin. Her hair was unwashed as usual, and the only thing that separated her from a corpse was the rapid, shallow rise and fall of her chest.

Magnus flew over to her, "MOM!" The scream that left his lips sounded awful even to his own ears. He grabbed the medic closest to him and shook him, "What happened!"

The medic was irritatingly calm about everything, "Sir, calm down, are you a relation?"

"What happened!" Magnus demanded, his voice rising to a screech. Suddenly he felt familiar, warm arms around him, pulling him gently away and shielding him from the sight. He clung to that person desperately, unable to look at his mother's emancipated body any longer.

"Are you a relation?" The medic repeated, this time looking at Alec.

"Yes, what happened?" Alec's voice was calming and serious as he held Magnus tightly. The only thing that betrayed his cool demeanor was the slight shake in his voice.

"An over dosage of heroin. We got her just in time and restarted her heart," the medic paused as Magnus let out a broken moan, "she's being taken to the nearest hospital. You can come with us in an escorting police car."

"We'll come." Alec said, "Can you have someone take my car back?"

"I'll do it myself." The medic accepted the keys and his quick instructions back to Alec's home before running off.

Alec supported Magnus as they walked to the police car, helping him in the back and climbing in after him. He didn't know what to say, what could he say? Instead he hugged Magnus tightly, who was starting to scare him with his silence. He wasn't crying, he wasn't talking, just clinging onto Alec with an iron grip. "Magnus, Magnus hey, look at me." Alec felt his worry rise sharply when he didn't respond, "Magnus! Please!"

The sound of Alec's sharp, panicked voice wormed its way through Magnus's numb stupor. He lifted his head, feeling hollow and empty, "Is she…dead?" He whispered, his voice a harsh whisper.

"No! Magnus she's going to be alright." Alec frantically tried to reassure him, "Magnus, Magnus please try and stay with me, please!"

"Alec…" Was all Magnus managed to say, before the shock became too much and he slipped into the welcomed oblivion of sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

A whirl of color and voices invaded Magnus's dreams; people talking to him, shaking him, and then Alec's voice, loud and angry, slicing through them all, protecting him. More colors, sterile white, ugly lime green, soft yellow, all flooded through Magnus's mind as he slept. He could hear people arguing, and once again Alec snapped at them, his voice sounding dangerous. Why was he so upset? Magnus struggled to open his eyes, wanting to figure out what was going on around him.

"…Mr. Lightwood please, your friend should be in a room. We can set him up in the same corridor as his mother. He needs to rest."

Alec's voice was uncharacteristically emotional, fury warping his words, "He wouldn't want that. Leave him alone."

"Mr. Lightwood, please, you don't know that."

"Yes. I do."

Magnus struggled, forcing open his eyes and wincing back at the bright, white lights that stabbed at his eyes.

"Magnus?" The fury was gone from Alec's voice, replaced with something far more tender.

Sitting up, Magnus felt something warm slip from his shoulders, and he opened his eyes fully. He realized, slowly, that he'd been sleeping on Alec's lap. Looking around, he recognized the clean white walls and floors, bright florescent lights, and a doctor hovering over them.

"Mr. Bane!" The doctor straightened up, looking relieved, "We need you to fill out some—"

Alec stood suddenly, his gentle blue eyes turning into chips of ice, "He just woke up, leave us alone."

Even Magnus was shocked by the ferocity in his boyfriend's voice, which helped him fully wake up. He watched as the doctor left and then reached up, tentatively tugging on Alec's jersey. "Alec…?"

"Magnus, are you alright?" Alec sat down hurriedly, his hands running through Magnus's hair, "Magnus?"

"…Alec, we're in public…?" Now Magnus really felt confused, and it wasn't helping anything. "What happened? Why am I in a hospital?"

Alec's face fell and he stared at Magnus, his blue eyes looking guilty and hesitant, "You don't remember…?"

"…where is she?" Magnus asked quietly, his mind settling down into a comfortable numbness. It was better if he didn't feel anything. He didn't want to think about how his mother had looked on that stretcher, all wasted away.

Standing up, Alec offered his boyfriend his hand. Helping Magnus up, he led him to the room they were sitting next to.

Magnus hesitated suddenly at the door, not wanting to see what lay inside. Tubes, machines, all hooked up to his mother's fragile body, or even worse, a sheet over her head.

"It's ok." Alec soothed, moving over and resting his hand on Magnus's waist, "Magnus, it's alright."

Not looking at his boyfriend, Magnus steeled himself and walked in, his hand tightening on Alec's.

The room was open and airy, sunlight filtering in through the open curtains. There were only two tubes running to the bed in the middle. One was an IV and the other a heart monitor. The woman in the bed was asleep, her breathing and heart rate even and steady. There was a bit of color in her cheeks and lips, and her hair had been freshly washed. She looked peaceful and relaxed, like her other self had never existed.

"…my dad died almost seven years ago." Magnus said suddenly, completely devoid of emotion. He didn't seem to see Alec's startled look, or his mother lying on the bed either. "She was doing alright for the first two years. Maybe because she was taking care of me and the bills and the apartment, but then, two years later…this started."

"Magnus, you don't have to tell me this." Alec murmured, moving closer to Magnus.

"It was never this bad but I knew…I always knew…" Magnus's voice trailed off before picking back up with the same devoid detachment, "That scene haunted my nightmares for the past five years. When I saw it…I thought I was dreaming again…it didn't seem real." He finally looked at Alec, his face impassive but his eyes broken like glass, "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I—what?" Alec sputtered, completely thrown, "Magnus! Don't apologize for that!" He pulled Magnus around to face him; feeling like someone had pulled the floor out from under him. "Magnus Bane, listen to me, don't apologize for that. I don't care; I just care if you're alright or not."

"…Alec, please, don't…" Magnus's voice was still empty, "I…" Shame washed over him, and he felt himself recoil from Alec's touch. He just wanted to be alone; to curl into a corner of this hospital room that they couldn't afford and cry himself to sleep.

"Magnus…" Alec couldn't help the hurt creeping into his voice, and instantly regretted it. "Hold on a second, alright?" He steered Magnus to a chair and hurried out, pulling out his cell phone and flagging over a doctor as he went. The door shut behind him and Magnus was left alone, thankful to a few minutes to try and compose himself. It wasn't that bad. She was still alive, look on the bright side…

Twenty minutes must've gone by before Alec reappeared; looking flustered but satisfied as he sat on the chair next to Magnus, careful not to touch him. "Do you want something? Coffee or something to eat?"

"No…thanks." Magnus stared down at his knotted fingers, "You don't have to stay here, Alec. It's ok."

"…my family knows I'm here." Alec said, "It's all fine."

"What did you tell them?" Magnus glanced over at him.

"That you needed me to be here." Alec paused suddenly, "…do you?"

"Yes." Magnus's voice was firm, unlike the hazy sentences he'd muttered before. "Alec, I…" He trailed off and then sighed, reaching over and slipping his hand into Alec's, squeezing it for reassurance.

They sat there for awhile, holding hands, not saying anything. Magnus didn't look at his mother, preferring instead to watch Alec quietly. He seemed content to sit there and stare at the wall, holding his hand, and saying nothing. It almost hurt to watch him, and Magnus felt it like bits of broken glass inside his core. Thankfully, a scuffle outside the door interrupted his thoughts, "What is that?"

"Oh, I think she's here." Alec commented, and then the door was flung open.

Camille was across the room and tackling Magnus before the door had even rebounded off the wall, "Magnus! Oh god, honey, are you ok!?" She fretted, stroking his hair and hugging him so tightly he made a sound of protest.

"C-Camille?" He managed to escape, only to be dragged into another hug.

"Yes, it's me. It's ok." She shot Alec a grateful look from over her best friend's head, her eyes silently thanking him.

He nodded and returned his gaze to Magnus, who had emerged from Camille's suffocating hug.

"Don't worry about anything, it's all covered." She was all business now, crouching in front of him and holding his hands in hers, "Alec and I are splitting the cost of the hospital and the treatment, it's all fine, Magnus."

"I—what?" Magnus looked bewildered, blinking like an owl. He looked at Alec for a trace of sanity, and found it in his boyfriend's steady blue eyes. "You can't do that!"

"I already did. I put Camille's information down on the forms and we're splitting the cost. I have a separate bank account, my parents won't notice."

"Alexander!" Magnus stood, looking at both of them, "No. This is ridiculous." He backed away from them, "You can't do this, both of you, it's too much."

"Magnus," Camille said softly, "it's taken care of. If you really resent it, call it a birthday gift from the both of us."

"…whose idea was it?" Magnus asked softly, looking at both of them.

There was a silence and then Alec stood, "Mine."

Camille also stood, "He called me as soon as he could and told me what happened. He also told me the plan." She looked over, finally, at the still woman lying in the bed. "It isn't that bad really, the cost. So don't worry about it." She looked back at her friend and, unable to help it, smiled softly, "Nice jersey."

A soft laugh broke through Magnus's lips, and he shook his head, unable to believe anything that was happening. "You two…"

Camille smiled and walked over, hugging her friend tightly. She looked over at Alec and smiled, holding her arms open to him.

He went over and joined the group hug; all three of them sharing the pain and relief that had been threatening to overwhelm Magnus.

They were excused from school for a week, and they all took shifts waiting for Magnus's mother to wake while the other two slept. It had been only two days, and Camille was on her shift now. It was Monday morning and she felt a brief surge of pride towards herself. She hadn't had a smoke for three days now. She looked over towards Magnus and Alec, smiling despite herself.

They were curled around each other like children, their foreheads touching and their arms and legs intertwined, almost like they were hugging. Their sleep was untroubled and they looked peaceful and relaxed. She felt a surge of protectiveness over the pair of them, surprising her. She'd always been protective of Magnus, but now Alec had somehow wormed his way into her heart. He was good for Magnus, and he'd thought to call her when this happened. That, in her book, made him a good person.

Magnus had night shift, but he'd spent most of it watching Alec sleep. His boyfriend was stretched out on the floor, lying on his back, breathing gently. Because of this, Magnus didn't notice his mother stirring until the heart monitors steady beep spiked sharply. Turning around, he met her gaze for the first time in years. It was her eyes, not filmy or glazed or blood shot. They were clear grey, and now were fixed on her son without any confusion in her eyes.

"Maggie?"

Her voice…it was soft and unbroken, sounding healthy for the first time in years. Magnus stood up from his chair but didn't move towards her. He just stood there, watching her. Some part of him thought she was going to go back to her old habit, of striking out at him or not recognizing him. The pain, the unimaginable pain of not having your own mother recognize you, haunted Magnus like a demon.

"Maggie, why am I here?" She looked genuinely confused, and her gaze rested on Camille, slumped against the wall, and then Alec, peacefully sleeping on the ground, "Is that Camy? She's grown so much."

Magnus winced at the pet name he'd given Camille when they were little. When he'd first seen little blond headed Camille, wearing cameo cargo pants, he'd mistaken her name for her pants. When she explained that her name wasn't 'cameo' it was 'Camille', he'd settled for 'Camy' instead.

"But who is that boy?" She continued, watching Alec.

"You wouldn't know, would you?" Magnus said softly, his voice curt. He could tell he'd hurt her with his words, and it filled him with a savage pleasure. Good. Good! She should hurt. She should feel all the pain and despair he'd felt for seven years. He wanted to hurt her. The intensity of his anger scared Magnus, but he didn't do anything.

"Maggie…" She whispered, her grey eyes wide and hurt, "Baby, I'm so, so sorry."

"No you're not." He whispered, "If you cared about me you wouldn't have left me alone."

Unnoticed to both of them, Camille awoke from her light doze. She didn't move, watching them from cracked eyes. She noticed Alec still sleeping, and after a quick decision, slid her foot across the floor and gently prodded him awake. Thankfully, he didn't start or make any noise, just opened his eyes and looked confused.

"Maggie! I am sorry. It wasn't my fault, you wouldn't understand—"

"Wouldn't understand?" Magnus's voice rose and he quickly checked it, bringing down to a savage whisper, "Understand what, mom? That someone you loved died? That Dad died? I wouldn't understand that? Well! Let's talk about what else I don't understand. Let's start with the drug. I obviously know nothing about my own mother buying drugs, disappearing and fading away. Do you know what it's like to be alone? To be an orphan? I might as well have been an orphan! My father dead, my mother a corpse in the upstairs bedroom; most of the time you didn't even know who I was!" Magnus took a breath, everything pouring out, "I've had to take care of the bills by myself, I had summer jobs, two at a time, and every cent I earned went towards the bills. I couldn't afford food most nights. Did you know that?"

Camille met Alec's eyes and felt a stab of pity towards him. She'd known all of this, but to Alec this was all new. She turned her attention back to Magnus, hoping that once he'd gotten all this off his chest maybe he could start to heal.

"Maggie, I didn't know!"

"No you didn't. You didn't even know your own name." Magnus accused, his shoulders stiff, "I grew up alone. You left me alone, and I made the best of it. And now, because of you, I've had to mooch of my friends. Camy and Alec have paid for this, did you know that? You wouldn't be alive without them!" He hissed, his voice breaking, "Do you understand that!?"

"…is that Alec?" She asked, nodding her head towards the 'sleeping' black haired boy.

"Yes."

"…I'm glad you found someone, Maggie." She whispered, "I'm glad you found someone to lean on. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you. I am a terrible mother, I know that. I…I needed to escape. Your father…" Her voice faltered and she cleared her throat, "He was my everything. I loved him and you more than anything. When he was taken from us…I forgot I had you, Maggie. All I could think about was him, and how he was gone. I thought my heart had been broken, but I forgot, Maggie, that you were a part of my heart too." She sat up, staring pleadingly at Magnus, "I'm so, so sorry."

Magnus didn't say anything, and it was impossible for either Camille or Alec to see his facial expression.

"You've grown." She gave a broken laugh, "Look at you, all grown up and I missed it. You look just like him…how old are you now, Maggie?"

"Seventeen." He whispered, his voice steady. But his hands were shaking, giving himself away.

Alec's eyes met Camille's again, but this time he looked furious, as if saying; 'what sort of mother doesn't know her own son's age?' Camille silently agreed with him.

"Seventeen…almost a man." She shook her head, leaning back against the pillows, her eyes distant, "You stayed with me for seven years."

"…what?" Magnus seemed slightly confused.

"You stayed with me for seven years. I was out for seven years, but you took care of me, Maggie. You made sure I was ok, didn't you?"

"…it was five years." Magnus corrected, the shaking in his hands getting worse.

She looked at her son sadly, "You made sure I was ok when I was…troubled. I don't remember anything from the last five years, Maggie. But I remember you. I remember you were always there when I woke up. Like you are now. You could've left me, you're a very smart boy, Maggie, and you would've done fine. But you stayed."

"I couldn't…I couldn't leave you to die." Magnus said quietly, his hands stilling. "I'm not like that."

"I know. You grew up to be a very good person, Maggie. I'm so proud of you." She smiled and leaned against the pillows, "But Maggie, I won't be a burden anymore. I'm going to turn this around. I will. But this time I'm not going to lean on you. You can do anything you want, you can come back and live with me or go and stay with Camy. Or even this Alec boy. You don't have to look after me anymore."

"Mom…"

Her eyes opened, looking fierce, just like Magnus did when he had one of those stubborn streaks, "I have a plan, Magnus. I'm going to rehab, getting a job, and then a nice place to live. You deserve the best."

Magnus didn't say anything, just watched as his mother nodded seriously at him and then closed her eyes, sinking back into sleep easily. He stood there for a bit and then said quietly, "How long will that be, Mom? Another five years?" But there was no accusation in his voice.

Isabelle stood in front of Alec by the door of Magnus's mom's room. "You're going to have to tell her something. She doesn't believe he's a friend. I told her, repeatedly, but I think she suspects something."

"When is she coming?" Alec asked quietly.

"Now. I came as fast as I could." Isabelle glanced down the hall, "Alec, you're going to have to tell her something."

"Tell who what?" Magnus asked, coming out of the room. He looked so much better now; the circles under his eyes had disappeared and Camille had gotten him a bag of product. He'd spent an hour playing with it in the bathroom, before coming back out with his hair gelled and his eyes shadowed in black. Alec had stared at him for a good five minutes, before muttering something about water and leaving quickly. Now Magnus was standing in the door way, hip cocked, teasing smirk on his face, wearing his jersey.

"My mother." Alec sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "It's been four days now and I've missed school. She's going to want a very good excuse."

"Your mother." Magnus mused, and then winked at Isabelle, "Hey you."

"Hey, you're looking very nice today." She complimented, and then grinned when he practically lit up, beaming with happiness.

"He always looks nice." Alec waved his hand, oblivious to the two amused smirks he got when he said that. "How long do we have?"

"Five minutes max."

"Well shit."

Magnus chuckled, "Not necessarily. Mom's out cold so she won't say anything. We could pretend that it's Camille's mom and she's your girlfriend, that's why you stayed here."

"Camille would never agree to that." Alec snorted, and then yelped when someone behind him spoke.

"I think Camille would be ok lying to an adult." Camille purred, looking amused.

"I think," Magnus drawled, "Camille shouldn't speak in third person."

"And I think it's a ridiculous idea." Alec interrupted, holding his hands up. "There's just no avoiding it anymore…"

"Alec," Magnus's playful demeanor dropped and he moved towards him, resting his hand on his arm, "You don't have to tell her. We've all been through a shit storm lately; you don't need this on top of everything."

"But that's just it. I'm sort of numb from everything, I figure that maybe I won't feel anything if she takes it the wrong way." Alec's tone was light, but it didn't fool anyone.

Isabelle checked her phone and clicked her tongue, "Alec, whatever you decide, hurry up. I'll help you if you want, but I think she's here."

Alec paled visibly, and Magnus snorted, "Well that decides it. Camille, you're his girlfriend for today. But if you try and kiss him I'm going to disown you as my friend."

"Deal." She grinned, and then looked up as heels clicked towards the small group, making everyone freeze.

Magnus slipped back into the room, followed by Isabelle, leaving Camille and Alec standing outside the room.

Camille was never nervous. She'd grown up around parents who thought that every child should be scolded at least twice a day. Regal women never threatened her because she considered herself above them. But now, as Maryse Lightwood stalked towards them, an unfamiliar feeling crept into her stomach. Fear.

"Hello, mom." Alec greeted her, looking nauseous.

"Alexander." She studied him with icy blue eyes, "You have a lot of explaining to do, mister." Her eyes rested on Camille, and the ice hardened into glaciers.

"Mom, this is Camille Belcourt." Alec said weakly.

"I'm his girlfriend." She added, drawing herself up to her full height. "My mother has taken ill and Alec has spent these recent days helping me look after her. He is very kind like that." The lie flowed smoothly off her tongue, but something told her that Mrs. Lightwood didn't buy it for a second.

"Mom, why are you here?" Alec asked, and then shrunk back when she turned her stare onto him.

"You have missed two days of school, a stranger drives my car back home instead of you, you haven't come home in almost a week, I don't know where you are or if you're ok, now you tell me your friend's mother is in the hospital, and now she's your girlfriend. Why do you think I'm here? My eldest child doesn't even bother to call me and tell me he's not coming home, what was I to think?"

Alec blinked; had she been…worried about him? Was that even possible?

"And as for you, young lady, I would like to speak to your parents as soon as they are well enough to talk." Maryse snipped coolly, her lip curling, "It just so happened, I know the Belcourts, and I have their number."

Camille's gaze didn't falter.

"Mom, stop." Alec moved towards her, shooting Camille an apologetic look. "I need to talk to you." He took her by the arm and drew her away, looking nervous but determined.

Oh no. She recognized that look. Camille tapped on the door and immediately two people poked their heads out, watching the family just out of earshot.

Alec seemed to be talking, using hand gestures as he described something. They could tell by Maryse's posture that she didn't understand whatever he was saying. Then Alec said something, and her stance became rigid solid.

"Oh no." Magnus whispered, "He told her."

"How can you be sure?" Camille whispered.

Isabelle winced, "That's how."

They looked back in time to see Maryse raise her hand as if to slap him, but then seemed to regain control and lowered it back to her side. They were obviously arguing, and by Alec's body language it was quite clear that it wasn't going very well. He gestured to the door and said something, and now Maryse was pointing at the door, jabbing her finger at it, her look of fury clear even from that far away. Alec shook his head and she grabbed his shirt, still pointing at the door. He ripped away from her, glaring mutinously. They stared at each other, almost like a standoff between two angry alley cats. Slowly, Alec moved back towards the room, watching as Maryse crossed her arms and tapped her foot. He arrived and looked at the three of them, his face pale.

"Magnus, I'm sorry. But I have to go."

"No, that's completely fine." Magnus opened the door and stood there, glancing at his mother, "So…you told her?"

"Yep."

"…didn't go well, did it?"

"Nope."

Magnus reached for him and then quickly checked himself. God forbid he touched Alec in front of his mom. That would just be the stupidest thing ever. "Will you be alright?"

"I think so." Alec didn't look too sure, "Izzy, are you coming home with us?"

"If I don't, I would leave you alone in the car with our angry mother." She snorted, and then walked over to her.

"Magnus, will you be alright?" He frowned at his boyfriend, concerned.

"Fine." He smiled warmly, "For the first time in seven years, I think I'll actually be fine. I'm going to move in with Camille for a bit, until everything's settled. I might even go back to school tomorrow."

"School…normal school…I actually miss it." Alec chuckled, and then glanced at his mother, his look hardening, "Magnus, don't worry about me. Remember what you said when you asked me to be your boyfriend? How you thought I was worth having a secret relationship with?"

"Yeah?"

"Well you're worth this." He glanced back into the room, "I'll text you when I can, alright?"

Magnus felt warmth surround him and he smiled, "I'll look forward to it."

With another glance towards his mother, Alec smirked suddenly and reached out, drawing Magnus close, "I hope you don't mind, but I miss your kisses."

It was so out of character that Magnus's eyes widened comically right before Alec kissed him sweetly, stealing away his breath. He automatically closed his eyes and kissed him back, a craving erupting inside of him that was nowhere near satisfied when Alec broke away. He caught the look on Mrs. Lightwood's face and raised an eyebrow, "Was that for me or for your mother?"

"Always you." Alec promised, "She's just a bonus."

Magnus laughed, unable to help it. "Oh god, I've corrupted you."

"In a good way." Alec reassured him, smiling. "I better go before she comes over here. I love you, Magnus."

Magnus's laughter was cut short and he looked stunned, like he couldn't quite believe what Alec had said, "Alec…" He curled his fingers into his boyfriend's, holding his hand out of view of his mother, "I love you too."

He blushed slightly, and then gently let go of his hand, "I better go. I'll text you." He walked off, holding himself high, and walked past his mother without even looking at her. Right before he disappeared behind the white doors, he shot one last smile at Magnus before following his family out and into whatever hellhole his mother had planned.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

The ride back was in complete silence. Maryse's shoulders were stiff and her knuckles white on the steering wheel. Isabelle and Alec sat in the back, tension rising every second the stony silence continued. Alec had expected accusations, shouting, disgust, but this quiet, this judgmental silence was killing him. How could he defend himself and his actions against nothing?

They pulled up at their house and Maryse killed the engine, "Alexander, living room. Now." Without saying anything else she got out and walked into the house.

"I'll come with you." Isabelle said immediately, "I need to do something quickly first, but I'll be there. Ok?"

"Fine." Alec got out of the car and followed his mother, finding her standing by the fireplace. The sofa looked cold and stiff, and the thought of sitting made him nervous. So he stood, hands behind his back, not saying anything.

"…how long as this been going on?" Maryse finally said, not looking at her son.

"What?" Alec asked, unsure if she meant Magnus or his sexuality.

"Your little…fraternization with this boy."

"Fraternization?" Alec repeated, feeling numb. "Is that what you call this?"

"If your father was here," Maryse spoke over him, her voice tight, "this would not be tolerated."

"Are you saying that if Dad was here, I wouldn't be gay?"

"Don't say that word! Not under this roof!" Maryse turned around suddenly, her eyes frigid.

"What, gay? I'm gay, mom!" Exasperation crept into his voice, "It's who I am!"

"Mom! Alec! There you are!" Jace walked in, looking puzzled, followed closely by Isabelle. "Hey, Alec, I've got a question. Clary is being cold to me because I dated a cheerleader before her. I don't get it."

"Jace," Maryse turned to glare at her blond headed child, "Isabelle, good. I need to know. Have you two known about this…this issue?"

Jace blinked and looked at Alec for help, "Uh, well she only started being nasty yesterday…"

Maryse's eyes narrowed, "About Alec's boyfriend." When Jace didn't say anything, she continued, "Did you know about him begin…gay?" She bit the word out.

"I don't understand…" Jace said slowly, not looking at Alec, "What does this have to do with Clary?"

For a moment, Alec could only stare at his brother. Was he really so narrow minded he could only think about his own problems? Then he spotted the steel in his brother's golden eyes, and the angry set of his shoulders. He looked over at Isabelle and frowned when she flashed him a tiny smile. Had she told Jace? But what had she said?

"Isabelle, Jace, have you known about this?" Maryse repeated, ignoring Jace's comment.

Jace said nothing, crossing his arms and glaring at his mother.

"I knew." Isabelle spoke out, raising her eyebrows coolly, "I've met Magnus a few times actually."

"Who is Magnus?" Maryse snapped, "Is he in on this too?"

Alec snorted, unable to help it, "Yeah you could say that, seeing as he's my boyfriend." He wasn't sure where the attitude was coming from, but when his mother said his boyfriend's name like that, it made his blood boil.

"Look, what's the problem here?" Jace interrupted, "Alec's got a boyfriend, yay for him. Do we really need to have a family meeting about it?"

"Yes we do, because it's not natural." Maryse looked at Alec, her gaze cold and calculating, "It might not be too late. We can send you to a camp or an institution to help you with this…problem."

"Send me away?" Alec repeated, "To do what!?"

"Help you." Maryse said, her voice detached, "We can still sort this out."

Alec stared at her, unable to say anything. Fortunately, his siblings hadn't lost their voice.

"Are you insane?" Isabelle spat, her eyes narrowing and her lip curling in disgust, "Alec is fine! It's you who needs help! Why are you acting like this?"

"This won't be tolerated under this roof. Alexander, you must stop this. It's unhealthy."

"No." Alec growled, "Mom, listen to me. Magnus is…he's my boyfriend. I care about him, and no camp or institution is going to change that."

She met his eyes with unwavering stubbornness, something that ran in the family, "I won't deal with this. Not now. You need to think carefully about what you've done." She turned on her heel and walked out, pausing only to add, "And next time you decide not to come home, remember who is left wondering if you'd been hurt, or kidnapped, or worse." And with that she left them.

Alec didn't say anything, but shame washed over him, and he found himself floundering. A noise caught his attention and he looked up to see his sister adjusting her bracelet. He wasn't alone in this; he had Magnus and Isabelle and, "Jace?"

Cold, golden eyes met his, "Alec. I need to ask you something. Where you ever going to tell me about this? About you having a boyfriend? And being gay? Did you even think to tell me, your brother, about something like this? Did it ever cross your mind?"

"Jace…"

"Don't bother." Jace turned away, but not before Alec caught the hurt in his eyes before he left.

Alec rounded on Isabelle, "What did you tell him?"

"That you were gay, dating someone called Magnus, and now you needed help because mom found out." Isabelle listed off, "It didn't take much convincing on my part to get him to help. In fact, I think he almost ran me over to get to you before I could even finish explaining." She narrowed her eyes, "Alec, we're not your enemies. We love you, Alec. Jace, Max, and I all love you for who you are."

"You told MAX?!"

"No! But you should one day, when he's old enough to understand." Isabelle waved it off, "What I'm saying is that we're here for you Alec, not everyone is the enemy. Not even mom!"

"What?"

She rolled her eyes, "Honestly, and you're supposed to be the smart one. Do you have any idea how frantic she was? It was all I could do not to let her call the police! She thought something horrible had happened to you!"

"Mom was…worried?" The entire concept seemed foreign to him. He shook himself, he had other things to worry about himself. First was Jace. "I'm going to talk to Jace…listen, Isabelle, thank you so much." Alec smiled at his sister and then ducked around her, taking the stairs two at a time and arriving, a little breathless, at his brother's door. He knocked, hoping he'd respond. Sometimes Jace felt like sulking for seven days in a row was the best way to express himself.

Thankfully, the door opened, and Jace leaned against the doorway, "Yes? Anything else I should know? Are you actually a woman?"

"Jace!"

"I'm kidding." Jace sighed, "What is it, Alec?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I should have but I…" He shifted around, pressing his lips together and glancing at his brother, "I wasn't sure of myself, I really didn't know until I met Magnus. After that…everything sort of straightened out. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I know I should've."

"Yes, you should've."

"…can I make it up to you?" Alec smiled sheepishly, knowing it would help his case.

"You could come out to me like my brother, not sneaking around like that and me finding out through hurried whispers from my sister to go and save your ass."

Alec winced, but he deserved that. "Jace, I'm gay."

"And?" Jace raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…and I'm seeing someone. He's my boyfriend."

"And?"

Alec stared at him, "His name is Magnus."

"And?"

"And what?"

Jace opened the door wider and placed his hands on his hips, cocking his head. He looked rather like Magnus, with the sassiness of the pose. "And do you like him? Does he treat you right? Is he important to you?"

The seriousness and concern in his usually devious gold eyes made Alec smile, "I love him."

"Well that's what matters! Now, help me with something. How do I make it up to Clary?" Jace pursed his lips.

"Why are you asking me this? You're the one with the relationship advice."

"Yeah, but you're gay, that automatically makes you the person with the best relationship advice." Jace reasoned, and then laughed like a hyena as Alec blushed and tried to hit him, "I'm kidding I'm kidding!"

"You're an asshole." Alec muttered, and then grinned.

"So, any word from blue eyes yet?" Camille asked, flipping through another one of her magazines. She was sitting on the spare bed in one of the guest bedrooms in her massive house. She'd just finished moving Magnus and all his stuff in, and then asked her parents. They'd said yes, distractedly, but she made sure to be at least tolerable for the rest of the evening to thank them.

"Why is it you never call him Alec?" Magnus chuckled, looking through his new closet. He'd put all his stuff away, which wasn't very much, and seemed satisfied with the arrangement. He'd left the hospital a few hours after Alec had, and now he felt, for the first time, like he was his own person. He could do anything, earn money for himself, and maybe, just maybe, go to college.

"Blue eyes works fine." Camille murmured, "Hasn't called yet?"

"Camille Belcourt, is that concern I detect in your voice?" Magnus gave a mock gasp of horror. "Who are you and what have you done to my woman!?"

She snorted, "I don't care one way or another, but I thought you might."

"…you really care about him." Magnus looked surprised, and then a massive smile broke over his face, "You approve! You finally approve of him!"

"No, I hate him." Camille sniffed.

"You're a terrible liar." Magnus purred, looking at his friend with affection.

"Hmph."

The phone rang on the dresser, lighting up and startling the pair of them. Magnus dove over to it and flipped it open, "Hello?"

Camille rolled her eyes, but scooted a little closer to hear better.

"Magnus, it's me."

"I know it's you." Magnus purred, "Who else would it be?"

"Eh, hi."

The embarrassment in his voice was so cute that it made a stupid smile stretch across his face, "How're you doing?"

"I'm not sure…you know my brother? Jace?"

Camille smirked, "The hot blond douche bag, Magnus."

Magnus shot a glare at her and then turned back to his call, "Yes, what about him?"

"He was ok with it. He helped with mom."

"What happened with your mom? Are you ok? She didn't freak out on you did she?" Magnus felt worry rising up in his chest. Kissing him in front of his mother defiantly seemed like a stupid move now.

"She didn't take it well."

The tone was unmistakable, and Magnus felt his smile slip, "What happened?"

"She…well she wants to send me to some place to straighten me out."

"What?" Magnus's voice became low and threatening, "Alec, tell me you're not going."

"Not yet. I don't know what's going on with her, but I won't go to some…institution."

"You bet your ass you won't." Magnus caught Camille's eye and calmed down, "Alec, besides that, are you ok?"

"Yes. I think I worried her though, staying away from home for so long. Maybe that's why she's…you know."

Magnus sighed, "I miss you. I've moved into one of Camille's spare bedrooms and it's weird not seeing you every day. I got so used to it."

"I miss you too, Magnus. And tell Camille I say hi."

"Alec say's hi!" Magnus whispered loudly at Camille. Without waiting for her response he turned back to the call, "She say's hi back."

"Really? That's so unlike her."

Camille chuckled, looking pleased. "Hi blue eyes."

"Now she says hi." Magnus corrected, "When can I see you?"

"Can't wait until tomorrow to see me?"

"Nope. I miss you." Magnus's voice lowered, "Want to meet up at the school? Football field?"

"…I probably shouldn't leave home right now."

Magnus's face fell, "Oh, ok."

"See you in ten?"

"I'm already on my way." Magnus purred, grinning at Camille as he hurried out of his new room, grabbing his car keys as he went.

Magnus pulled up in the school parking lot, turning the engine off and getting out, looking around for Alec. He closed the car door and strolled towards the field, hands in his pockets. He was wearing skinny jeans and a white, paint splattered t-shirt, and a black vest with golden buttons. His hair had been gelled into its careful spikes, streaked with blue this time. He'd also used blue eye shadow, which contrasted with his green gold eyes. Humming under his breath, Magnus walked out into the field.

"Magnus."

He paused, a smile stretching over his lips, "Alec." He felt an arm wrap around his waist and he looked over to see steady blue eyes smiling up at him. His heart contracted and he couldn't help staring at him, loving everything about him from his untidy black hair down to his tattered, grass stained jeans.

"Want to walk?" Alec slipped his arm from Magnus's waist and held his hand, a trace of his former, shy self shining through when Magnus gave him a burning look.

They walked around the field, not really saying much, just happy to be with each other.

"How's your mom doing?" Alec inquired, looking up from the grass to gauge Magnus's reaction. But his boyfriend seemed relaxed and at ease, comfortable with discussing his mother.

"She's doing better. She's in rehab now, and I'm getting weekly updates from her counselor. Apparently she wants to get a job soon."

"That's great." Alec squeezed his hand, "Really Magnus, that's great."

"Yeah…yeah it is." Magnus smiled at him, his eyes bright. "How about your mom? Did you see her before you left?"

"No." Alec sighed, looking away from him, "I don't even know if she's ok with…this." He frowned, "I want her to be. I want you to meet her, and Jace. I know you met Isabelle but you barely met Max."

"Alec, let her get used to the idea." Magnus found himself siding with his boyfriend's mom, surprising even himself, "Think about it. You disappeared for four days, turn up in the hospital, and then tell her you're gay and I'm your boyfriend. Might've been a bit much all at once."

"…that's what Isabelle said." Alec looked at Magnus, stopping in his tracks, "Do you think that's what it is? Overload?"

The cracks of hope in his beautiful blue eyes broke Magnus's heart; "Maybe." was all he could manage.

He smiled, satisfied with the answer. They resumed walking, the sun starting to sink, turning the sky indigo.

"Do you want a ride home?" Magnus offered, as they walked towards the parking lot.

"Yeah, that would be great."

They walked towards the familiar purple car, Alec feeling like he was seeing an old friend. The car looked just like it always did, and he couldn't help but think of everything it had probably seen. He smiled up at Magnus and then made a startled noise as he felt himself being pushed up against the side of the car, Magnus's thin, lithe body pressing against his own. He barely had time to draw in a breath before his boyfriend's lips covered his own, stealing away his thoughts.

Magnus moaned softly, his hands trapping Alec against the car, nudging his leg in between Alec's thighs. He felt his boyfriend grip the back of his shirt, arching into his body. He kissed him hungrily, letting his mouth open and gently nudging his tongue in between Alec's soft, warm lips.

Parting his lips, Alec met Magnus's tongue with his own, groaning with thinly veiled desperation. He could feel Magnus's body against his own, separated by nothing but their clothes. It woke something in him, and he kissed Magnus passionately, curling his fingers tightly in the back of Magnus's vest.

Breaking away, feeling light headed (from kissing Alec or lack of air, he couldn't tell), Magnus's darkened eyes raked over Alec's body, undressing him with eyes. He pulled Alec off the car and reached around him, managing to open the door before Alec kissed him again. He felt himself being pulled into the car, and after some positioning, he was sitting on Alec's lap in the passenger seat. Not breaking the kiss, he felt behind them to the lever that controlled the seat. Finding it, he pushed the seat flat, enjoying the startled gasp that escaped Alec's lips.

Lying flat on his back, Alec felt slightly vulnerable with Magnus hovering over him. But it was a good sort of exposed, one that sent shivers down his spine. It was alright, though. He felt safe with Magnus, and it excited him to have someone take away his power, letting him take a submissive position.

As if reading his thoughts, Magnus's eyes softened. He leaned over him and kissed him sweetly, letting his tongue peek out and taste him on his lips.

"Magnus…" The plea escaped Alec's lips before he could stop it, and it made them both pause.

"Alec, I don't want to do this here…" Magnus's eyes were careful, watching Alec's face for any sign that he wanted to stop. "I don't have…you know."

Alec blushed a flaming red, earning a grin from his boyfriend.

"Are you sure you want this?" Magnus murmured, "I love you so much, and I don't want to do something you don't want to do."

"Magnus," Alec reached up and drew him close, kissing him firmly. He could feel the hesitance in his boyfriend's touch, and it melted him, "I do want it. With you." he smiled sheepishly.

Magnus blinked, and then reached into his pocket, "Hang on, let me check something." He pulled out his cell phone and sat up on Alec's lap, smiling down at him and sending a quick text.

_Where are you and your parents?_

The text came back immediately; _Out for a 'family dinner.' Any chance you can rescue me?_

_Busy. Thanks Camy! _

Magnus snapped his phone shut and looked down at his boyfriend, "Camille's house is empty."

A faint blush crept over Alec's cheeks, "What are you suggesting?"

"Want me to spell it out for you?" Magnus purred, leaning back over Alec, his hands trapping him to the seat. "Come home with me?"

The blush was more prominent, but Alec nodded silently, and then yelped when Magnus snapped the seat up, bringing them both back together.

Magnus smiled and kissed him sweetly on his lips again, lingering for a heartbeat as he pulled away, "I love you, Alec."

"Love you too, Magnus." Alec smiled and then laughed as Magnus attempted to climb into the driver's seat but tripped over the gear stick, "Need some help?"

"No, I've got this." Magnus panted, performing a complicated twist with his body and ending up in his seat, flustered but smug, "See? No problem." He turned the car on and smiled at Alec, his grin and good mood infectious.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Camille stared at her phone, torn between amusement and irritation. Was he really going to do what she thought he was? Probably.

"Camille, eat your food." Mrs. Belcourt said robotically, not looking up from her white wine.

The urge to childishly stick her tongue out at her mother was overwhelming, but she restrained herself, "Yes mother." Picking up her fork, she stared at her plate. Pork chops, green beans, and mashed potatoes. They'd seemed appealing at one point, but now the meat looked slimy, the green beans seemed mushy, and the potatoes… Swallowing her disgust, Camille delicately picked a bit of green bean apart and slipped it under her fork, trying not to taste anything as she ate it.

"Camille, sit up straight."

Straight? Any straighter and she'd be nailed to a wooden board! Her back was aching and her lower back was screaming in protest. But she was used to it, and her shoulders were held stiff and proud. "Yes mother."

"Don't mumble."

Her eye twitched, "Sorry." She made sure to annunciate, hissing on the 's' and drawing out the 'r'. It was going to be a very, very long night.

"Magnus…this is not your room." Alec said, crossing his arms and arching his eyebrow.

"How can you tell?" Magnus batted his eyes innocently.

"Magnus! I'm not stupid!" Alec gestured to the room, his eyebrows flying upwards.

It was an enormous room with two Persian rugs spread across the plush carpet. A grand four-poster bed was turned down neatly, decorated with at least a dozen pillows, most of them with delicate, complicated bead designs. One of the walls next to the bed was taken up with two massive French doors, framed with heavy red drapes, pulled back with gold cording. The vanities, dresser drawers, and other available counter spaces were all covered in expensive statues and hand carved boxes. Not a single picture of their daughter could be seen.

"Don't worry, they're out and won't be back for a while." Magnus soothed, mischief glinting in his eyes.

"Magnus!"

Time to pull out the big guns. Magnus walked over to his boyfriend, lowering his eyes and smiling secretively at him. He wrapped his arms slowly around Alec's waist, cocking his head slightly to the side, "Darling, don't you trust me?" His voice was soft as silk, and he could see the effect it had on Alec.

"Don't try that with me." Alec grumbled, "It's not going to work."

"Then what will?" Magnus's voice was even softer, moving his head so his lips brushed against Alec's ear, "Want me to beg you?"

"Magnus…"

"I can beg you so sweetly." Magnus taunted, pressing his body against his boyfriend's suggestively. "No one will know but you and me. They won't be back for hours and hours…we have hours, Alec. Hours." He caressed the word, enjoying the shiver that traveled through his body.

Alec was running out of arguments, and willpower too, for that matter. He felt Magnus's lips move to his neck and he found himself wondering if he'd give in this easily every time. Hours…the possibilities made him blush, but he decided to draw it out, just a bit more, "Its Camille's parent's bedroom, Magnus."

Slipping down to his knees, Magnus rested his chin right below Alec's bellybutton, raising his eyes to look at his boyfriend from under his eyelashes. He didn't have to say anything, and smiled when Alec groaned, obviously giving up.

"You are evil." Alec muttered, pulling him to his feet and giving him a scolding look, foiled by trying not to smile. "You may look angelic, but you're evil to the core."

Magnus purred, his eyes gleaming, "I'd go to any unspeakable lengths for you, darling." He drew Alec in and kissed him, letting their bodies curve against each other, holding each other tenderly as they kissed.

Sighing softly, Alec melted into his embrace, reaching up and cupping the back of his neck, moving his lips gently against his boyfriend's. He let Magnus move them towards the elaborate bed before ending the kiss, smiling at him, "I think I better call my mom this time, tell him I'm not coming home today."

"Good idea. I've got to get something, stay here." Magnus winked at him and then left the room, leaving the door opened behind him, despite what he'd said.

Biting his lower lip, Alec hesitated after he dialed the number before hitting call. He barely had to wait two rings before she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Mom. It's Alec."

"…when did you leave?"

Alec winced; he'd forgotten that he'd snuck out to meet Magnus at the field. "Not too long ago. I'm staying overnight, thought I'd let you know this time…"

"With who?"

"Magnus." Alec was proud that his voice didn't waver. He felt his tension rise as the silence increased.

"That's the boy. The one you're…"

The rest was left unsaid, and Alec was surprised that he felt a stab of sadness towards his mother, "He's my boyfriend, yes." Then, seized by a sudden urge, he quickly said, "W-would you like to meet him sometime? We could all go out to lunch."

The silence stretched on, "I have things to do, Alexander." More silence, and then, "Do…do you have everything you need? Toothbrush and pajamas?"

Alec blinked. It was such a…motherly thing for her to say. He couldn't help a smile, "Yes, I'm borrowing some. I have everything I need, thanks mom."

"Good night, Alexander." She hung up, not waiting for him to respond.

Lowering his phone, Alec ended the call and pushed the cell into his pocket. He gave his empty hand a strange smile, and then looked up as Magnus came back into the room, his hands full of something.

Tossing whatever it was carelessly on one of the antique tables, Magnus walked over to Alec and, with a tiny grin, pushed him over and onto the bed.

With a startled gasp, Alec tumbled onto the plush bedcover, moving back onto the bed and kicking his shoes off, propping himself on his elbows to watch Magnus.

Toeing his own shoes off, Magnus crawled after Alec, pushing all the ornamental pillows off the bed. He smiled down at his boyfriend before kissing him, holding himself up on his forearms.

Alec reached up and wrapped his arms around Magnus's shoulders. With an athletic twist of his body, he flipped them over, earning a gasp from his boyfriend. Smirking slightly, he kissed him warmly; moaning softly as he felt Magnus slide his hands up the back of his shirt, running his nails over his bare skin. It sent a shiver down his spine and he pressed himself against Magnus longingly, forgetting his previous objection to the room.

Feeling their bodies press against each other, separated once more by a thin layer of clothes, Magnus tugged on Alec's shirt, deepening their kiss. He twined his tongue with his boyfriend's; make a noise of pleasure as he felt his boyfriend add a taste of fire to their kiss.

Those noises Magnus was making was driving Alec insane. He broke away from the kiss, aware of his flushed face, and let his eyes traveled over Magnus's body beneath him. His vest was crooked, and his paint splattered shirt had been hiked up his body, baring his midriff. His skin…Alec moved lower and trailed his tongue over the small expanse of caramel skin.

"Alec, ah, that tickles." Magnus giggled, wiggling around the plush, wine red bed cover. He sat up and drew Alec onto his lap, running his hands down his sides and onto his thighs, hooking Alec's legs over his hips.

This position pressed their pelvises and chests together, making their breath catch as they stared at each other, heat burning in their eyes.

Magnus moved his hands to Alec's shirt, watching him for any sign he should stop, and smoothly slid his hands up, pulling the shirt over and off Alec's torso. His exotic eyes left Alec's deep blue ones, and he stared at his boyfriend. His chest was unmarked, creamy smooth white skin, fit and defined with muscle. He even had the hint of abs, but it was his arms which contained the muscle. It swelled gently under his skin and wrapped around down to his hands, which were large and warm. His palms were covered in calluses, and his fingers were soft and sure. Magnus took one of those hands and rested it on his own stomach, closing his eyes as he felt it slip under his shirt and vest.

Magnus's skin…it was so soft and firm. Alec took his hand back and carefully plucked the buttons open on his vest, pushing it off his shoulders, and then returned both his hands under Magnus's shirt. He ran his fingers up his boyfriend's body, caressing every groove and every curve, imprinting it to memory. He felt his boyfriend shiver underneath his touch, and Alec slipped the shirt off, baring Magnus's chest. His skin was beautiful; a rich caramel color with dark nipples, and his torso was thin and fit. A small scar ran along his left collar bone, about the length of a finger. Alec leaned in and kissed it gently, unable to help himself.

"Alec…" Magnus breathed, his eyes darkening. It was an old scar, but now he was very aware of it when his love pressed his lips ever so softly against it. He moved his hand up and tangled it in the short, black hair, biting down on his lip.

"Tickling you again?" Alec teased, his tongue peeking out and running along the scar.

Shit. Where had he learned that? Magnus drew his head back up and kissed him passionately, moaning when he felt Alec place his arms around his neck, bringing them closer. It all felt good, like small currents of electricity were running through his veins. He let his hands wander down his boyfriend's body, resting questioningly on his pant line, letting his finger tips dip below the waist line, but no further.

"It's ok." Alec murmured, his lips barely a breath away from Magnus's, "I want this."

A small moan escaped Magnus's lips and he pressed Alec tighter against his body, wanting to feel their bare torso's touching. His hands moved around to the front of his boyfriend's jeans, nimbly unbuttoning them and zipping them down. He felt Alec sigh quietly, eagerly, against his neck, and he felt his longing grow. "Alec, lie on your back." He whispered, slightly disappointed when his boyfriend got off his lap and did as he said.

Lifting his hips, Alec felt Magnus's long fingers wrap around the waist band of his jeans and tug them off. He kicked them off the bed and held his arms out, smiling when Magnus lay on top of him, kissing him wantonly. He could feel the need on his boyfriend's lips, and it excited him. He wasn't quite aware of doing this, but soon he realized his hands were on Magnus's waist, caressing the skin there and running his fingers along his pant line.

It sent small thrills through him, and Magnus rolled his hips forward to encourage it, and then gasped as their arousals rubbed together. He felt Alec's hands grab his hips, startled, and Magnus stifled a moan. He repeated the action, twirling his butt and grinding against Alec shamelessly.

They both moaned now, and Alec spread his legs, his lips parted. It felt so good, to have Magnus on top of him, making him feel this way. He moved his hands back to Magnus's pants and he looked up at his boyfriend, "Can I…?"

"Please." Magnus groaned, surprising Alec. His pants were unbelievably tight. He was such an idiot, wearing skinny jeans and then seducing his boyfriend. He felt Alec's hands undoing his pants and he shivered, lifting his butt in the air to help the removal of the infernal piece of clothing. Once they were off, he noticed a hesitant pause in his love's movements, "Alec?"

"…what are you wearing?" Alec asked, torn between amusement and being completely turned on.

Magnus glanced down and grinned; he had on his favorite pair of underwear, tight, bright purple briefs with a slight glitter sheen to them, "Like 'em?"

"…yes." Alec mumbled, blushing despite himself. They really left nothing to the imagination, and he was extremely glad he couldn't see Magnus's butt. That might've given him a nose bleed. Tentatively, he moved his hands down Magnus's sides, aware of his boyfriend's stare, and ran them along his waist and rested them on his hips. "Yes, very much."

"Good, next time I'm going to get you into a pair of these." Magnus purred, his voice sliding over Alec's body like water. He kissed his boyfriend again and then moved lower, tasting and licking his collar bone before running his tongue firmly over a pert nipple, earning a gasp. He repeated the action, sucking lightly and then moved to the other one, playing with it between his teeth.

"Magnus…" Alec breathed, his voice low and needy.

Instead of answering, Magnus ran his fingers over the waist band of his boyfriend's boxers. Meeting no resistance, he slowly slid them down, moving upwards to kiss his love as he removed the last of his clothes.

It was strange, being completely bare in front of someone, and that sense of vulnerability came back even stronger than before. But just as that feeling overtook him, Magnus kissed him, and it chased away all the doubt and self-consciousness in his mind. He loved Magnus, and trusted him more than enough to do this with him. He reached down, with a bit more confidence, and ran his hands over Magnus's butt, feeling it through the tight fabric that encased it.

A low moan broke through Magnus's lips as he felt Alec do that, and he finished removing his underwear and tossed them to the side. Anxious to get out of his own painfully tight underwear, he reached down and slipped them off, kicking them to the floor and then pressing himself against Alec, wanting to feel all of him.

Magnus's body was long and perfect, warm, firm, and it made Alec want him in such a way that it took his breath from him. "Magnus…" He swallowed, unsure of what he wanted to say, and then kissed him, just wanting to taste him again and again.

"Alec…Alec I love you so much." Magnus whispered, putting force behind the words. He watched Alec open his beautiful blue eyes, and felt his heart pang when he read the answer in their depths before Alec had even opened his mouth.

"I love you too, Magnus." Alec murmured, running his hands up and down Magnus's back, loving how it felt. He smiled at his boyfriend's expression, bringing him back down and kissing him sweetly. He could feel Magnus's hands start to move over his body again, but didn't really register it until one of them wrapped around him, stroking him upwards. "Oh!" He broke the kiss, his eyes wide at the surprise pleasure.

Magnus did it again, watching in rapture as Alec groaned and let his head fall back, closing his eyes and biting his lip. He stroked him firmly, letting his fingers brush all the tender spots, trailing his nails ever so gently up the underside, and rubbing his thumb over the slit. Alec's body arched and clenched beneath him, so beautiful against the wine red duvet.

"Magnus…!" The broken plea fled Alec's lips, "Stop, please, I can't…!" He sighed in a mixture of relief and disappointment as Magnus's hand left him and then opened his eyes, cocking his head at his boyfriend's thoughtful expression.

"Alec," Magnus leaned over him, "do you want to top or bottom? Either way is fine for me, but I want you to enjoy this."

A blush smeared itself over Alec's cheeks and he didn't know what to say. Obviously Magnus was more experience with this, though he didn't want to think about that, and the thought of dominating scared him a bit. But then again, so did bottoming. "I don't know." He must've let it show on his face because suddenly Magnus was kissing him, and it made him feel secure and ok like before.

"Anything you want love." Magnus murmured, between kisses, "Just tell me."

"I have what I want." Alec managed to get out between Magnus's hungry kisses, addicted to each one like a drug. He felt comfortable and safe in Magnus's arms, and he didn't want that to go, "Maybe you should…I don't really know what I'm doing…"

"I'll go very slow." Magnus promised, reaching for the nightstand. "Tell me to stop if it gets too uncomfortable, ok?"

"Yeah." Alec glanced over and felt his heart pace increase when Magnus gabbed a thing of lube. That must've been what he'd gone to get earlier on. He watched as his boyfriend opened the cap and poured some of it on his fingers, coating them thoroughly with the clear substance. Magnus leaned over him again, kissing him passionately, as one of his fingers circled Alec's entrance. It felt cold, and weird as it was pushed in, and Alec shifted a bit as he felt the invader slip inside.

Keeping an eye on Alec, Magnus slowly moved the finger inside the tight heat, still kissing him. He broke away as he added the second finger, pausing as he felt Alec tense.

"No, it's fine. Just feels weird." Alec wrinkled his nose, and then made a noise of surprise when Magnus kissed it.

"You're so cute." Magnus purred, distracting him easily as he slid the second finger all the way in.

"I am—ah—not!" Alec frowned, feeling Magnus's fingers curl inside of him, "What are you—AH!" He arched off the bed, his mouth and eyes wide open. It felt like someone had shot him with pleasure, and suddenly the uncomfortable stretching feeling was gone, replaced only by a deep craving to get more of that pleasure, "Magnus!"

Fingering that spot, Magnus slid another digit in, rubbing his boyfriend's prostate and watching as he gasped out his name in the most sinful way. It was doing things to Magnus, and he shuddered as he imagined being inside that clenching heat. Magnus stretched Alec out as much as he could, making sure to play with his pleasure spot a bit, before removing his fingers and slicking himself up with the lube.

Alec made a small sound of annoyance when he felt them leave, making him feel strangely empty. Then Magnus was above him, kissing him once before he felt him push in. It burned almost, and he dug his finger brutally into the red bed cover, tense up automatically. He felt Magnus freeze and he regretted it, trying to relax and even out his breathing.

"Are you ok?" Magnus whispered, looking worried and guilty. He kissed Alec again, in a soft, apologetic way.

"Fine." Alec gasped, and then relaxed, "It's fine, move." It wasn't so bad this time, but there was none of the pleasure his fingers had brought. He winced a bit as Magnus moved out and back in, causing him to shift a bit on the bed. The new angle brought Magnus in deeper, hitting exactly where his boyfriend had been searching for. "Magnus! Ahh…!"

Relief flooded Magnus and he finally relaxed, shuddering as he let the feeling of being inside Alec overwhelm him. He was so tight and hot and perfect. He adjusted his angle a bit and thrust back inside, moaning as he heard Alec cry out his name, clawing at the bed sheets. It felt so unbelievably good.

"Magnus, Magnus please, more!" Alec begged, unable to help it. Oh he wanted this. He wanted this so bad. Arching off the bed, he gripped Magnus's shoulders and cried out as Magnus increased the pace, hitting him harder in that spot that made him see white. He felt Magnus's hands touching him, adding fuel to the fire as pleasure burned through his mind. The pain was almost completely gone, leaving nothing but an intense pleasure that made Alec plead for more.

"Alec, Alec oh god, yes, yes!" Magnus panted, and then moaned loudly as he felt Alec's fingernails sink into his shoulder. The small sparks of pain made him shudder longingly and he increased the pace, kissing Alec as his cries got louder and more urgent. He was so beautiful like this, lost in pleasure and lust. Magnus moaned again, feeling his release coil in his gut. He moved his hands lower, stroking Alec along with his trusts.

The double pleasure was too much for Alec's body, and he screamed out Magnus's name as he came. His entire body felt like it was being electrified, and with every shock it just got more tender and exposed. But still pleasure raced through him, sending him to an all new high.

The feeling of Alec clenching down around him made Magnus toss back his head and shout Alec's name as loudly as he could. His vision dimmed as he came inside the tight depths, and his entire body shook with the intensity of his climax. He hung his head, panting, and supporting himself on shaking arms. Slowly, he withdrew, pausing only when Alec made a soft whimper, and then was out, lying on the bed next to his lover.

They held each other, Alec curling against Magnus's body, resting his head underneath his chin. His pulse was still worryingly fast, but he didn't let himself care. That had been amazing, there was no other word for it. He could almost feel Magnus's satisfaction, his boyfriend was practically purring. They lay together like that, basking in the afterglow, for quite awhile. After all; they had hours.

Camille and her parents arrived home late, having decided to stay at the restaurant to sample coffee and small treats. Exhausted, Camille kicked off her heels and flopped down on her bed, groaning. Then she remembered; Magnus! Getting up she snuck out of her room, walking silently to her friend's room and gently opening the door.

Magnus and Alec were underneath the covers, fast asleep, holding each other as they dreamed. Magnus was curled against Alec, using his lover's chest as a pillow, while Alec had his arms wrapped protectively around his boyfriend. The sheets were bunched up against their arms, and they looked so adorable. Smiling to herself, she took out her cell phone and took a quick picture. She'd send it to Magnus when he woke up. He'd love it.

Smiling, she closed the door and glanced at her watch. It was late, she wanted to go to bed. She walked down the hall towards her parents' bedroom, knocking with formal politeness before entering. What she saw stopped her dead.

Her parents were sitting up in their bed reading, her mother had her little half moon glasses on, and to a casual observer; nothing was wrong.

"Camille? Why are you here?" Her father asked, not looking up from his book.

It was like she had no business being in here. She smiled suddenly, "Good night." And then left, her smile growing until uncontrollable giggles slipped past her hand.

She really owed Magnus big time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Something soft and warm was sleeping on Alec when he awoke, lulling him almost instantly back to sleep. He was dimly aware of his body aching, but he didn't let that trouble him as he slipped back under. When he woke up again, the warmth was missing. Almost instantly he forced his eyes open in time to see a nude Magnus crawl back into bed, his hair in a crazy disarray. "Magnus?" He asked, his voice laced with sleep.

"Darling, sorry to wake you." Magnus whispered, sliding under the warm covers and cuddling close to Alec, "Sleep alright?"

Alec hummed in response, not really in the mood for talking. He felt drowsy and heavy, and now that his boyfriend's warm body was back against his, he felt inclined to go back to sleep.

As if sensing this, Magnus chuckled and reached up, laying his hand on his boyfriend's chest, "Alec, you should think about getting up soon. It's almost eleven."

"…ugh." Was all Alec could manage, and then rolled his head to the side and looked at Magnus, smiling at his sleepy expression. "Morning."

"Good morning." Magnus purred, his eyes narrowing pleasantly. He gently rubbed his fingers slowly over Alec's chest, enjoying how smooth it was, "Ready to get up?" He chuckled at Alec's expression, "Not immediately, but soon? We need to shower."

"Shower?" Alec repeated, looking puzzled, and then it clicked and he blushed. "Oh. Ok." He looked around the room they were in, smiling faintly at the colorful posters and small pile of sparkling make up on the vanity. He let his eyes travel and felt his smile grow at the sight of a red feather boa peeking out from the closet. Yeah, this was defiantly Magnus's room.

"You doing ok?" Magnus asked quietly, looking uncharacteristically serious.

Alec shifted a bit and felt a twinge run up his lower back. He was sore, that's for sure, but his body had a pleasant after-burn to his muscles, almost like when he'd had a satisfying workout after school. "I'm fine." He smiled and ran his thumb over Magnus's healed cheek, and then watched him as he moved under the covers towards him.

Magnus propped himself on his elbow and looked down at Alec, loving how he looked in the morning. His eyes were half closed, his hair tousled, and a funny little smile on his lips. Those lips, they taunted him constantly. He decided to take advantage of their solitude, and kissed him tenderly, loving the way their lips molded together, soft and warm.

A small shiver ran lazily up Alec's spine as he reached up and pulled Magnus onto his body, kissing him back slowly, just basking in the feelings and flavor. He was suddenly aware of their nudity, but it didn't embarrass him like it would have before. Instead he let one of his hands settled on the small of his lover's back, rubbing his thumb in small circles as they kissed languidly.

Pulling away, Magnus opened his eyes and smiled down at his boyfriend, "Shower?"

"Alright." Alec murmured, still slightly sleepy. He made a sound of annoyance when Magnus moved away, and then smiled despite himself as Magnus chuckled and moved back, kissing him on the nose.

"Just a minute love, I'll get the shower ready and then come get you." Magnus promised, amusement glinting in his eyes. He got out of the bed and walked into the bathroom, an open door next to a cherry wood dresser, and vanished inside.

Alec lay in bed and listened to him humming in the bathroom, his soft voice reverberating through the tile, making it sound like his voice was deep and velvety. He listened to the water running and heard the shower being put on. Hot steam furled out of the bathroom, and Alec found himself becoming impatient under the too hot covers. He threw them off and stood, making a face as his butt complained, and walked into the bathroom slowly, looking in.

Sitting on the edge of a white bathtub was Magnus, holding his hand under the hot spray of the shower. He adjusted one of the crystal knobs sticking out of the dark blue tile and then made a noise of approval. His back shone in the soft lighting of the room, playing over his tan skin. His hair had finally come out of its gelled spikes and now hung loose, framing his face. He had beautiful, silky black hair, and strands were curling upwards due to the steam.

Still moving silently, Alec entered the bathroom and eased the door shut, padding over a white bath rug towards his lover. He didn't make it very far before Magnus, sensing something, looked over his shoulder.

"Alec." He smiled, seemingly unsurprised that he hadn't waited. Standing up he brushed his hair from his face, "It's a pain without the gel."

"It's beautiful." Alec corrected, moving towards him and letting his own fingers run through the soft tresses. It fell through his fingers like water, and he smiled as it cupped around Magnus's jaw. "You should wear it down more often."

"It's more stubborn than I am." Magnus protested weakly, but in his mind he was already thinking about what he would wear with his hair down. Maybe a turtle neck of sorts…but his thoughts were interrupted when Alec drew away and stepped into the shower. He watched in rapture as Alec tilted his head back, sighing softly as warm water ran over his body, soaking his hair. Magnus's exotic eyes followed the trails of water racing over his lover's body, caressing all the curves he himself had touched last night.

"Going to just stand there?" Alec teased, without opening his eyes. He heard Magnus's intake of breath and felt him step into the shower, drawing the soft cream curtain around them, cutting them off from the world.

"How did you two sleep?" Camille asked over breakfast, eyeing her friends with a faint, knowing smile. Her smile broadened when Alec blushed and stared fixedly at his toast.

"Wonderfully." Magnus purred, looking just as amused.

They were all dressed and clean, Alec wearing his jeans and one of Magnus's more sane shirts. It was a dark green color with a v-neck and small cuts on the bottom sides. Magnus was wearing his skinny jeans and a black t-shirt with neon graffiti writing scrawling over his chest. He was also wearing his hair down, in a careful, ruffled sort of way, and Camille complemented it as soon as she saw it.

"I don't know how you got him to wear his hair down." Camille mused, looking at Alec with a tad bit of respect, "I fought him about it for almost ten years."

"I like annoying you." Magnus chuckled.

"Oh I know, but I'm surprised that a pair of big blue eyes have you bent backwards to please him." Camille observed, and then looked at Alec, "Same goes for you mister. You both are wrapped around each other's finger. It's all very amusing."

Alec just stared and then went back to his toast, deciding to let it drop.

Camille smiled and took a sip of her coffee, "By the way, Magnus. I have a present for you for…helping me last night." She smiled.

"Oh? I love presents!" Magnus perked up, ignoring Alec's confused look. "Where is it?"

"I just sent it to your cell phone."

On cue, his phone buzzed, sounding very small in the massive dining room they were eating in. The sound bounced off the ornamental gold and red walls as Magnus pulled his phone out and looked at the text.

Alec peered over his shoulder and his cheeks suddenly matched the walls. "Camille!"

"Camille!" Magnus repeated, but in a completely different tone, "Oh this is so wonderful!"

"What!?"

"I'm going to save this as my wallpaper."

"No! Magnus, give me the phone!" Alec lunged for it, and then quickly straightened up in his seat as a woman walked into the room. She was one of the servants, and she cleared away the dishes quietly without looking at any of them. Only when she'd left did Alec turned back to Magnus, "Magnus." He growled, "The picture."

"Want a copy?" Magnus asked innocently, unable to help the glow that seemed to radiate through his body.

Alec stared at him, debating trying to get the phone, but then remembered that Camille had the original picture. She probably had backups too. He narrowed his eyes threateningly but said nothing more on the subject.

"Well, I love it." Magnus announced, working on his phone to do god knows what. He snapped it shut and sighed dreamily, "I wonder if I could get it in print."

"Magnus!"

"Ok ok, maybe not."

When Alec arrived home, he almost immediately wanted to chase down Magnus's car and go back to Camille's house with him. Even if it was cold and untouchable, it was a much more welcoming atmosphere than what he feared was waiting for him inside. He opened the door and walked inside, grateful that nobody was waiting for him. It was past noon, and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and take a nap.

"Alec? That you?"

Dammit. "Yes, hi Jace." Alec sighed as Jace walked into the living room, trying not to look irritated. He really wanted to sleep.

"Soooo out all night long, huh?" Jace's grin was massive. "Have fun?"

"Shut up Jace." Alec grumbled, walking up the stairs.

"Hey hey hey! Wait! Mom wanted to talk to you!" Jace ran after him, grabbing the back of his shirt, "Dude, where'd you get the shirt?"

"Why? Don't like it?"

"Well it's too well kept to be yours." Jace observed, and then ducked at Alec took a swing at him. "She's in the living room." He ran around him and bounded up the stairs, no doubt to tell Isabelle that now Alec was wearing his boyfriend's shirts. Great.

With a barely suppressed sigh Alec dragged his feet as he went to the living room. He really, really hoped his mother wouldn't notice the shirt. That would be hard to explain.

"Alexander? Come here, I only have a moment."

Alec entered the living room and watched as his mother bustled around, holding notebooks and papers and other planners. She was packing things and taking things out of her briefcase, not even glancing at her son. "Yes?"

"I only have an opening this Thursday for forty-five minutes around one o'clock. Is that acceptable for both of you?"

"What?"

"Lunch, Alexander." She snapped, sounding impatient. "I can meet the two of you at the Hilton at one o'clock on Thursday, is that acceptable?"

"Two of us?"

"Alexander." She sighed, sounding exhausted. "You said that you and your boyfriend would want to have lunch. Are you telling me you don't want to now?"

Alec felt like he'd just been hit by a bus. Thankfully, Maryse was too busy putting together her briefcase to notice her son's flabbergasted look. "Y-yes! Thursday is perfect! I'll, uh, tell Magnus."

"Good, I'll see the two of you at one o'clock at the Hilton." She snapped her briefcase shut and left the room, checking her watch and muttering under her breath.

"What…just happened." Alec pulled out his cell phone and dialed a familiar number. He didn't have to wait long.

"Hello darling."

"Magnus, you're not driving right now, right?"

"No, but I can drive and talk just for the record."

"Not for this. You'd crash into a tree."

"Really? Are you pregnant?"

"MAGNUS!"

"Sorry sorry, but you set yourself up for that sweetheart."

Alec rolled his eyes at Magnus's laughter, "Listen, this is important. My mother has invited us to lunch on Thursday.

"What!?"

"One o'clock, the Hilton. Please, please tell me you can go."

"Yes, but isn't that a school day?"

"Let me check." Alec walked over to a calendar, "Teacher's work day or something. You good?"

"Yeah, yeah I think so. Jeez…your mom?"

"I know." Alec let out a strangled laugh, "I couldn't believe it."

"Me either. I might've driven into a tree."

"Not funny." Alec chuckled, "Listen I better go, but I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah. I love you Alec."

"Love you too." Alec smiled, and then hung up.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Dearest students, we've had a great year at Nephilim High School. I'd like to thank each of you personally for an extraordinary experience that you've helped create at this place of learning. I'd also like to congratulate the Seniors, and tell they that we'll all miss them terribly."

A row of students standing on the stage all grinned and shifted around, looking at each other, silently agreeing that they weren't sad at all to be leaving this place behind.

The rest of the student body was sitting in front of the stage in fold out, hard metal chairs. Alec and Magnus were off to the left, sitting with the sports teams. How exactly Magnus had snuck his way in was still a mystery, but nobody was going to question it. The first time they'd come to the school as an official couple, some hot blond girl had beaten up almost twelve students for making offensive comments. Then the football team had 'visited' those twelve students, just to further support the blond girl's statement. Needless to say, everyone was fine with their relationship.

"I'd also like to extend congratulations to the football team for a stunning year of games! We reached first place in the championship this year!"

Alec and his team all exchanged massive grins, elbowing each other in silent glee. He caught Magnus's proud look and felt his smile grow, reaching across to hold his hand. They'd had a fantastic year together, and the two were never seen without each other.

"I'd also like to congratulate the Honors students, for their impeccable grades."

At this Magnus's proud look became sheepish, and Alec squeezed his hand supportively. His lover had passed in all his classes, and with Alec's help, got a B in Chemistry.

"And now, I'd like to wish you all a wonderful summer! Make sure to do your homework." The principle added, but it was lost in the roar of the students, all leaping up and getting the hell out of that stuffy auditorium.

They emerged out into the sun, milling around and talking excitedly. Slightly apart from the crowd, a group of three peeled away and headed towards an old purple car.

"Can you believe it; we're going to be Seniors next year." Camille sighed, looking back at the school with a look of tired amusement. "One more year of this hell hole."

"I happen to like this hell hole." Alec chuckled, and then smiled as he felt Magnus's fingers tighten around his.

"Do you two need a ride?" Magnus offered, digging his keys out and dangling them in the air playfully.

"Yes." Camille said immediately, "I refuse to walk in these shoes, they were $550 dollars!"

"Yeesh." Alec muttered, "I'll have to pass, sorry, but I'm riding home with mom. She wants to take us all out to lunch to celebrate that Jace passed Freshman year."

Magnus laughed, "Tell her I say hi for me, alright?"

"I will." Alec smiled, and then looked at Camille, "See you around?"

"You bet." She grinned, and then watched as he kissed Magnus good bye before threading his way through the crowd in search of his other siblings. She turned to Magnus, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

They got in the car and Magnus drove back to Camille's place. He put the car in park and leaned against the seat, smiling at his friend, "So will you stop by this weekend? I bet I can tempt Alec over to my place again with the promise of shrimp."

"Shrimp? Is that innuendo for something?"

"What? Ha, no, he just really likes shrimp." Magnus chuckled.

"Well then I just might. See you soon, Magnus."

"Bye, Camy." He purred, his eyes gleaming. He watched her until she got into her house and then pulled away from the curb, driving to where he'd bought his new apartment. Half a year of hard work, saving up, and hording his cash had all paid off, and now Magnus had a small, one bedroom apartment near a nice part of town. The rent was a little high, but he was extremely careful with his money. But now he drove past all that to a sketcher part of town, to a place that brought a flood of memories to his eyes. Parking under a tree, he got out and walked into his old building. Up the filthy stairs, second floor, eighth door. He paused, hand on the knob, and then opened it and walked inside.

Anyone who'd seen the previous version of the apartment would have thought they'd walked into the wrong room.

The walls and floors had been scrubbed to an inch of their life, and now they were bright and shiny. The walls were a light yellow, bright and cheerful in the open sunshine. Magnus toed off his shoes, shutting the door behind him, "Mom?"

"Maggie! Is that you?" A woman came running out of the kitchen, her change just as drastic as the apartments'. She was wearing a white flower print dress and an apron tied around her waist. There was flour on her hands and wrists, and her frizzy hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. "Maggie!" She hugged him tightly, and then made a small noise, "You're so much taller than your mom. I can't get used to it."

"Hi mom." Magnus hugged her back, glad not to feel her bony shoulders, or her spine sticking out of her skin. Now she had round shoulders and a smooth back, but she was still small in his arms. "How are you doing?"

"Oh wonderful!" She drew back, beaming up at him with her bright grey eyes. "I've been baking!" She hurried back into the kitchen and Magnus followed.

"What did you make?" Magnus asked, sitting down at a light wooden table. The kitchen was small but airy, and the stove gleamed silver, "When did we have a stove?"

"I unearthed it!" She said happily, patting it fondly. "I made cookies, do you want one? I crave chocolate." She took one and bit into it with savage pleasure.

"No thanks. How's therapy?"

"Oh Maggie." She sat down at the table, chewing her cookie, "It's been going so much better. I've stopped the withdrawal symptoms and now I'm on the mend. I've stopped craving!"

"Now you're craving chocolate." Magnus observed, smiling warmly at her.

"Maggie, there's something else…" She fidgeted, looking almost like a child.

"…what."

"Oh don't give me that look." She scolded, biting her lower lip. A habit, now Magnus realized, was one he'd picked up. "Well I met someone."

"Someone?"

"A man." She smiled nervously, "His name James Carstairs. He goes by Jem." She looked at her son, obviously waiting for something.

"Ok…that's great, mom." Magnus meant it, and he smiled at her. "I'm glad you met someone."

"Maggie…is it ok?"

"Mom, you don't have to ask my permission." Magnus chuckled, looking weary, "If you like him and he's good to you, then have fun."

"Speaking of that, how's Alec? Are you two doing alright?" She watched as a completely different smile spread over his lips. It was tender and sweet and it made her heart ache.

"He's good. You know, I'm going to ask him to move in soon." He bit his lip, looking uncharacteristically hesitant, "I'll ask him during Senior year, I'm not sure when. But I want to spend as much time with him as I can."

"That's wonderful, Magnus. I'm sure he'll say yes."

"I hope so." Magnus stood, smiling down at his mother, "I'm going to go home now, I'll see you later, alright?"

"Ok Maggie, thanks for checking in on me." She smiled warmly up at her son.

"Bye mom, you look great, by the way."

She beamed at him, and he smiled back at her before leaving.

"Alexander, what are your plans for this weekend?" Maryse asked over the table, as they ate lunch in some fancy restaurant.

"I'm not sure…why?" Alec asked, eyeing Jace as his brother devoured his pasta dish and started to move his fork towards Isabelle's.

"Well, I need someone to go check on the cabin up by the lake. Would you mind running up there Saturday or Sunday?"

"Sure, I'll need to borrow the car though."

"Very well. But only to the lake and back, understand?"

Alec nodded, and the raised an eyebrow as Jace, with the stealth of a raging elephant, switched his plate for his sister's, managing to knock his fork to the floor in the process. "Maybe I might stay the night." He added, mostly to himself.

"I can understand that." Maryse said in the same undertone.

"Oh, by the way, Magnus says hi."

"Speaking of Magnus, would you give this to him?" Maryse rummaged around in her bag and produced a magazine with some model on it. "I would like his opinion on the fall spread."

"Uh ok." Alec took the magazine and tucked it into his jacket. He still, after all these months, could not fathom the relationship between his mother and Magnus. When they'd had lunch, the atmosphere had been tense and suffocating. At one point, Alec excused himself to the men's room, feeling claustrophobic. When he'd come back, they were talking excitedly about some fashion designer and had become fast friend in the spans of time it took for Alec to wash his hands. It made no sense. Magnus still refused to tell him what had happened when he'd left, and his mother sure as hell wasn't dropping any hints.

Magnus had barely arrived at his apartment when the buzzer rang, startling him. With a sigh he walked over, pushing it, "Hello?"

"Magnus, pack an overnight bag quickly. And bring a swimsuit."

"What? Alec?"

"Hurry up, don't make me come in there to get you."

A small grin spread over Magnus's face. "Ten minutes."

"Five."

"See you in eight." Magnus clicked the buzzer off and ran around his apartment, throwing his stuff together into a pink duffle bag, making sure to add his favorite swimsuit to the pile. Once he was ready, he grabbed his keys and cell phone, locking his apartment up before running down the stairs to Maryse's silver car. He opened the back door and tossed his bag in before climbing in the front. "So? Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. You've been kidnapped." Alec grinned, driving off. "Oh, and that magazine in the glove department is for you from my mom. She wants your opinion on the fall spread."

Magnus opened the glove department and pulled out the magazine, "Alec! This is the new fall spread!"

"Yeah, kinda guessed that."

"No, you don't understand, this is the unpublished, not supposed to come out for three months, fall spread!"

"…yay?"

"Damn straight!" Magnus cried, ripping it open and stuffing his nose in it. "Oooo Camille's gonna be so jealous! I've got to call her!"

Alec snorted with amusement and merged onto the freeway.

Magnus speed dialed her and waited, bouncing up and down, "Camille Belcourt, drop what you're doing and guess what I, Magnus Bane, have in my hands right now."

Alec could hear her less than enthused voice guessing something probably very inappropriate.

"No! I would never own one of those!" Magnus scoffed, looking disgusted, "Baby, I am holding the only copy of…wait for it…VOGUE FALL SPREAD!"

Camille's screech of excitement was loud to even Alec, who grinned and snuck a glance at Magnus.

"I KNOW!" Magnus giggled, flipping open the magazine, "Oh it's beautiful. This new Brooklyn designer is amazing! He and his photographer apparently are having some sort of relationship I heard. I knooooow! Anyway, the clothing…oh Camille! It's breathtaking! By the way, I've been kidnapped."

Alec raised an eyebrow at the out of context addition, and then sighed when Magnus handed him the phone, "Camille?" He held the wheel in one hand, trusting Magnus to keep an eye on the road. (This, of course, was ridiculous. Magnus had the new fall spread, he wouldn't care if he died so long as he could finish the magazine first).

"Mr. Kidnapper, I want you to treat my best friend with all the courtesy he deserves. And if you harm him, you'll have a very angry boyfriend and best friend coming after you, do you understand me? The boyfriend is on the football team and the best friend has connections in the government. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Alec said seriously, "Mr. Bane shall be returned to you and said boyfriend in pristine condition."

"Good." Her tone changed, becoming softer, "Have a nice time, and send me pictures!"

"Camille!" But the call had been cut off. Alec rolled his eyes and handed the phone to his boyfriend.

"So, where are we going?"

"Quiet you, you're supposed to be a victim and you're not behaving like you're scared."

"Ahh, please don't hurt me." Magnus tried, grinning like an idiot.

Alec arched an eyebrow, his eyes still on the road, "You will be a model prisoner or I'll throw the magazine on the highway."

"Oh god."

"Much better." Alec didn't comment on how Magnus seemed to fear more for the magazine than the fact he had no idea where he was being taken to. "Now be good, don't make me blindfold you too."

"Ooo Alec, I didn't know you liked to play." Magnus purred, and then stuck his nose back in the magazine before it could be taken away from him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen **

Magnus looked up from his magazine as the car pulled up at a beautiful old cabin. It was a dark wood color with a stone fireplace rising up from the roof. It was a two story cabin with a red door and dark gray shutters. "Alec…?"

"It's my family's lake house." Alec explained pulling up in the gravel driveway and parking. Behind the house, half of the lake was visible, its water gleaming like silver under the sun. "We have it for the day, night, and most of tomorrow."

"We have it to ourselves?" Magnus folded the magazine down, staring at the house.

"Yup, just you and me." Alec pulled the keys out and stuffed them in his pockets. "Let's get our crap inside and then we can go swimming or something."

"I haven't been swimming since I was six!" Magnus unbuckled and quickly got out, not waiting for Alec to respond. He grabbed his bag and then wiggled around impatiently as Alec got out and took out his bag. Magnus grinned excitedly as they approached the house they had to themselves for the weekend.

"Alec? I'm going in the lake, will you be out soon?" Magnus called into the bathroom.

Alec looked up from the sink, pushing his hair from his eyes, "Ok, meet you there in a second." He heard Magnus leave and smiled, turning back to his bag as he fished out his swim trunks. They were a dark navy color with a small, white swirl patter going up the thighs. He undressed and pulled them on, watching his reflection critically in the mirror. He looked pale, and Alec hoped that maybe some time in the sun might darken his complexion. Or at least not give him a sunburn, like it always did. He turned off the light and walked through the house, his feet sinking into the soft carpet as he walked out into the lawn.

The lake's smooth, glassy surface was broken by soft ripples, almost like the small wrinkles of a bed sheet. Magnus was swimming in the middle of the lake, his head and bare shoulders breaking through the silver mirror like a knife.

Walking to the edge of the lake, Alec stood on the sandy pebbles and let the water nip at his toes. It wasn't too cold, and as he walked in, it stayed a consistent temperature. He shivered pleasantly as the water swallowed up around his shoulders before he closed his eyes and dunked his head. It was eerily silent underneath the water, and Alec smiled as the bubbles caressed his cheeks and nose. He broke the surface and took a breath, opening his eyes and blinking the water droplets from his eyelashes. He spotted Magnus, a couple yards away, and swam over, enjoying the way the water swept over his body.

Magnus looked up from the water to see Alec stop beside him, standing on the rock Magnus was currently perched on. "Hello stranger." He smiled and splashed him playfully.

"Hi there." Alec jerked back from the water and splashed him back. He laughed as Magnus made a noise of surprise and sunk beneath the water to escape the spray, leaving only his eyes above the water line. With a wink, Magnus's head disappeared under the water, leaving Alec alone in the lake. He looked around, narrowing his eyes as he tried to figure out where his lover had gone, and then yelped as hands seized him from behind and pulled him backwards into the water. He felt himself collide with a firm chest and stomach, and struggled to straighten up, wrestling Magnus.

Laughing, Magnus managed to get away, twisting agilely in the water and swimming for shore. He got as far as waist high in water before Alec caught him again. He yelped as arms wrapped around his waist, pinning him to Alec's bare torso. He struggled fruitlessly, and then groaned when he felt Alec bite the side of his neck. His struggles ceased and he leaned back against him, unable to help wanting more.

He could feel the shiver traveling up his boyfriend's spine, and Alec ran his tongue over the bite mark. Alec was very much aware of Magnus's practically nude body, having seen his swimsuit before their dip in the lake. It was pretty much the same as his briefs the first time they'd done it, but these were a little more revealing on the backside. Alec felt his lover's hands running over his thighs, up his swim trunks, and sighed breathily.

"Alec." Magnus turned around, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend, pressing their wet, almost bare bodies together.

Their lips met eagerly, tasting lake water and each other's own unique flavor. Alec moaned softly and held him closer, kissing him firmly, reaching up and tangling his fingers in Magnus's wet hair. He gripped it and tugged lightly, surprised by the broken groan of pleasure that escape between their lips.

Hair pulling; that was one of Magnus's biggest turn ons. He moaned again as he felt Alec pull on his hair once more, sending the most wonderful thrill through his body, "Alec…" He could hear the longing in his own voice.

Moving back into deeper water, Alec drew Magnus with him, sliding his hands down and cupping the back of his thighs. He picked Magnus up and made a soft noise when Magnus wrapped his legs around his waist. Alec moved his hands up to hold his boyfriend's butt, smiling up at him and then sighing happily as he felt those intoxicating lips descend upon him again.

Magnus moaned deep in his chest, running his hands over Alec's body, and pressing against him wantonly. He felt Alec nip on his lower lip and he obediently opened his mouth, accepting his boyfriend's tongue eagerly. He lost himself in the flavor of their kiss, just wanting more. More of Alec, more of his kisses, and a lot more touching. He moaned again, more urgently, and broke away from the kiss, "Alec…"

"Magnus…" Alec panted, a flush rising on his cheeks. He let Magnus's long legs release his waist and find firm footing, yet their bodies remained pressed together. Moving his hands to Magnus's lower back, Alec kissed him again, the two of them moving out of the lake and towards the house. It was a miracle they made it to the porch, both of them touching and teasing the other mercilessly. Alec hands wandered down, bold and unhesitant, running his fingers over the front of Magnus's swimsuit.

"Alec!" Magnus gasped, his eyes flying open. The urge to just drop tackle him on the wood porch, three feet from the door, and let him have his wicked way was overwhelming. "Bedroom, before I do something I'll regret."

"I won't regret it." Alec growled, his eyes dark.

"Alexander." Magnus groaned, reaching behind him, fumbling for the door. He managed to get it open and was promptly shoved into the house. He dragged Alec with him, both of them stumbling, and then he kissed him passionately.

Alec moaned and kicked the door shut, steering his lover backwards into the kitchen and towards his bedroom. It was the bed he and Jace shared, and now he'd never be able to sleep in it again with a straight face. He pushed Magnus on the bed, straddling him and kissing him heatedly.

Moaning shamelessly, Magnus arched into his touch, begging for more. He felt Alec's hands run over his body, touching his chest and caressing his nipples. "Alec." He groaned, letting his desperation show in his voice.

"Magnus." Alec whispered, his eyes dark and his voice deep. He moved lower, kissing his way down his lover's chest, paying extra special attention to his nipples. He ran his tongue over one of them, playing with the other with his fingers.

"Mnnhhh…" Magnus ran his hands down his boyfriend's body, pulling off Alec's swim trunks with little difficulty. He dragged his nails up his lover's butt, enjoying the shudder than ran through his body as he did so. "Alexander…please…"

Alec moaned at the tone; his name shouldn't sound so…sexual. He moved his hands over Magnus's body, resting on the waist band of his swimsuit and peeling it off, tossing it to some corner of the room. He leaned down and traced his tongue over that scar over his lover's collar bone, one of his favorite things to do whenever he got the chance. He knew Magnus hated the scar, but Alec thought it was beautiful, showing that his perfect boyfriend had a dark past, but still managed to be what he was today.

"Alec, Alec please stop teasing me." Magnus groaned, fisting the blanket on top of the bed. He ached for his lover, wanting him now, unable to wait any longer. "Alec…!"

"Magnus, what do you want?" Alec whispered, freezing his boyfriend to the bed. He heard a strangled gasp escape his lips and he smiled, reaching between them and curling his fingers around Magnus's erection, "What do you need me to do to you?" He stoked him as he spoke, loving how he arched off the bed, biting down harshly on his lip to stop from making any noise.

"Oh god!" Magnus sucked in a breath of air, shuddering as pleasure streaked through his veins, "I need, ohhh Alec, please more…!" He begged, spreading his legs underneath them. "Please!"

He loved it when Magnus begged, Alec was addicted to the way he'd wither and moan in the sheets, completely shameless. It made him hot and achy, and he loved it. "Magnus, tell me." He murmured, biting him on the shoulder while increasing the speed of his hand. He could feel Magnus rocking his hips into his hand, but didn't pin him to the bed just yet.

"You know…" Magnus groaned, and then dug his nails into the bedding, making a low moan in the back of his throat, "Alexander, please, I need you. I need to you inside of me, now, please!"

Alec let out a shaky breath, his eyes darker than the night sky. He kissed his boyfriend roughly, eating up the desperate moan he gave him, and then broke away and reached for the bedside table, trusting his brother to keep a stash of lube, even up here. Thankfully, Jace's reliable character showed through, and Alec uncapped the bottle with relief.

"Let me." Magnus sat up, a wicked look in his eyes as he took the bottle from Alec. He poured some on his hand and tossed the bottle on the pillows, reaching down and sliding his hand over his lover's arousal, slicking him up with agonizing slowness for the both of them.

"Magnus…" Alec sighed, shivering as he was lightly stroked with the cool lotion. He felt the hand move away and opened his eyes fully, meeting the lust filled stare of his lover. He reached out and pushed Magnus onto his back, knowing how he loved to be manhandled. Sure enough, Magnus made a needy sound in the back of his throat and spread his legs submissively. Leaning over his boyfriend, Alec kissed him deeply as he slid inside, both of them shuddering and making sounds of strained pleasure as he did so.

"Ahhh yesssss." Magnus moaned, tossing his head back and half closing his eyes. "Alec, move, please." He whispered roughly, loving the burning pleasure that came with Alec inside of him. It filled him up and stretched him out in the most wonderful ways, and he moaned again as he felt Alec draw out slowly, taunting him, before thrusting back in, making Magnus arch off the bed, a sound of pleasure fleeing from his lips.

"Ngh, Magnus, you're so tight." Alec groaned, not wasting any time in setting a pace. He moved back inside the hot, clenching entrance, loving the way that every movement sent shudders through his boyfriend's body. He shifted his angle and snapped his hips forward, moaning loudly as Magnus arched off the bed and cried out.

"ALEC! Oh yes yes, yes hit there again!" Magnus pleaded, wanting to feel more of the white hot pleasure. He felt Alec move faster, striking him in that place that sent him to heaven. "Alec, more please! Oh god yes, feels so good…!"

Alec moaned as he felt Magnus contract around him, sending a shock wave of pleasure into his core. He slammed inside of him, knowing that a little roughness would send his love to the skies. Sure enough, Magnus screamed out and instantly begged for more, harder, faster, and Alec complied.

It was maddening, to be driven with such intensity to his climax so swiftly. Magnus couldn't control his body's wants, and he just begged Alec for more. It felt so amazingly good, and he could tell he wasn't going to last very much longer. "A-Alec! I-I'm—ah! YES! Don't stop Alec, please more…!" Magnus cried out, clinging to the sheets.

"Magnus, Magnus!" Alec called, and then shouted out his lover's name as he felt him climax, sending him spiraling into his own release. He shuddered violently as pleasure electrocuted his system, and the feeling of Magnus clenching tightly around him made him loose his breath. As he felt his boyfriend relax around him, Alec slowly drew out before collapsing next to him.

Magnus lay on his back, eyes closed, with a small smile on his lips, "That was amazing." He murmured, and then made a sound of contentment when Alec curled against him, resting on his head on his chest.

"I love you." Alec hummed, meaning it as much as any person could. He could tell Magnus was smiling, even without looking at him. "I'm glad we have the house to each other."

"Me too." Magnus ran his hand down his lover's bare back, rubbing his shoulders, "I love you too, Alexander."

Alec smiled against his chest, feeling warm all over his body. "It's a shame I have to return you tomorrow afternoon."

"Well, not necessarily." Magnus purred, "We could always stay at my place for a couple days. Actually, I have something for you, where's my bag?" He lifted his head, frowning lazily.

"By the foot of the bed." Alec made a funny sound as Magnus moved. He sighed and rolled on his back as Magnus sat up, winced, and rolled onto his stomach, reaching down and rooting through his bag. Alec was presented with a very nice view of Magnus's backside, and, despite everything, blushed.

Magnus rolled back over; his fist curled, and scooted back over to Alec, now resting on his chest, "Hand open, eyes closed." He ordered, smiling.

Alec did as he was told and felt something small and cold drop into his hand. He opened his eyes and blinked, holding up a key, "Is this—?"

"My apartment key. Well, the spare one." Magnus added, sounding amused.

"Magnus," Alec looked at him, curled against his body, and smiled, tugging playfully on his hair, "thank you."

"But if Camille asks, that's the only spare." Magnus chuckled, "I don't want her popping in on us."

"No problem." Alec laughed silently, closing his fingers around the small key. Maybe, when they were older, they could move in together. But for now Alec was excited by the prospect of being able to stay with Magnus whenever he wanted, just the two of them, doing whatever they wanted.

They fell asleep nestled against each other, holding each other as they slept, with the small silver key glinting in Alec's half closed palm, the promise of a long life together.

The End.


End file.
